Chronicles of a Demon
by AurelianAce
Summary: Brett Thompson meets a man who might have answers to his questions regarding the Demon Lord. (This fic will feature three different endings, one for each Ace Style in Ace Combat Zero). Rated T for violence **UPDATE** *Read my profile bio. It will show how I'll act against toxic reviews from now on.*
1. Prologue

**Ace Combat: Chronicles of a Demon**

 **Prologue**

 **DISCLAIMER** **:** **I do not own Ace Combat. Ace Combat is owned by Bandai Namco. Everything else is owned by their rightful owners**

 **AN** : _Hello again. I'm AurelianAce, and this is a fanfic about what could have happened if Brett Thompson(in the off case you're wondering, he's the reporter that interviews the Ace Combat Zero aces) had met Cipher. This fic is going to have three different endings, each one focused on each of the three different Ace styles. I know I promised I would write my fics' sequels this summer, and believe me, I'll do my best to keep my promise, but I'm currently trying to come up with good ideas for both of them. Also, in case you're wondering why Reaper was piloting a Rafale M instead of their "trademark" F-22A, it's because it's a bit tiring to "raptorify" all characters. I mean, seriously, only a few main characters of the Ace Combat franchise have not piloted the F-22A, canonically at least. Without further delay, let the fic begin..._

* * *

 _Directus, Ustio, July 15th 2008, 12:50 Hours; Weather: Cloudy_

Brett Thompson, an Osean journalist, reporter and documentarian, was waiting patiently, drinking a beer in an Ustian bar called "The Freedom Flag". Months earlier, he had received an email from a person claiming to know the identity of the Belkan War ace known as "The Demon Lord". The email also stated that Thompson would have to be in that specific bar on July 15th at 12:55 PM, where said person would meet him.

Despite being early, Thompson was getting impatient. He was a bit afraid that this person might be just fooling him, or something worse.

At the exact hour the email had specified, a blue crossover parked near the bar, and a strongly-built man with black unruly hair and light blue eyes, apparently either in his late 30s or early 40s came out of it. The man entered the bar and headed for Thompson, with a warm smile across his face.

-"Brett Thompson, I guess."-said the man, in a warm South Belkan accent.

-"Yeah, that's me."-replied Thompson.-"Who are you?"

-"My name's Erich Hildebrand, former pilot of the Ustian Air Force."-said the man, as he shook Thompson's hand gently, but firmly.-"I sent you an email on March, stating that I knew the identity of the Demon Lord."

-"Yeah, I read it."-said Thompson, still wary of the stranger.-"I hope this is not a mere ruse."

-"Don't worry, Mr Thompson."-said Hildebrand.-"I wouldn't bother to prank the author of the documentary "Warriors and the Belkan War"."

-"Oh, you watched it?"-asked Thompson.-"Well, if you want to have an interview, it's a bit too late."

-"It's not an interview what I want, but since you went out of your way to find out as much info about the Demon Lord as you could, I'd like you to offer my point of view."-said Hildebrand.-"But let's talk about it in a more private place. I've never been too much of a fan of crowds."

Thompson followed Hildebrand to his car. After fifteen minutes of driving, in which they left Directus, they arrived to a white cottage with a small lagoon behind it.

-"Welcome to my home, Mr Thompson."-said Hildebrand, as they got out of the car.-"Make yourself comfortable while I make something to eat."

Thompson sat down in a couch in the main room, while Hildebrand headed for the kitchen. He was lost in thoughts when he noticed a bunch of photographies on a shelf. A couple of them showed an F-15C with a light grey body and blue trims on its wings and stabilizers. In one of them it was accompanied by another F-15C, this one having an entire white body except for a bloody red right wing, and in the other one, the second Eagle was replaced by an F-16C with the standard paintjob. The next one captivated his attention outright.

The photo showed the nose of a J35J Draken with a two-tone brown and grey camouflage pattern, with a couple of pilots in front of the aircraft's nose. Thompson recognized one of the pilots instantly. It was Larry Foulke, the pilot who was the Demon Lord's wingman and later enemy. But it was the other pilot who caught his attention. He was a black haired pilot, likely in his mid 20s, who was smiling cheerfully to the camera.

-" _This can't be! This has to be a coincidence._ "-Thompson mused in disbelief, as he stared at the photo.-" _But if it isn't, this means this guy is..._ "

Thompson's train of thoughts was halted when he felt a hand drop over his shoulder. Thompson gasped and dropped the photo. Before it hit the floor, however, Hildebrand caught it.

-"Judging by your face, you must have a lot of questions regarding this picture."-he said, smiling.-"But before that, let's eat. There's a circle in Hell reserved for those who don't get a good meal. You never know which is gonna be your last."

Thompson followed Hildebrand to the kitchen, where a delicious-looking steak rested on a dish on the opposite side of where Hildebrand was sitting.

-"Help yourself, Mr Thompson."-said Hildebrand.

Thompson sat down and ate his meal, taking glances at Hildebrand, wondering whether his suspicions about this man were true. Hildebrand, meanwhile, ate a piece of grilled salmon, either not noticing Thompson's glances or outright ignoring them.

After eating, Hildebrand filled two cups with fine Leasathian wine and, after offering one to Thompson, they headed for the main room and took their respective seats.

-"OK, first off, Mr Thompson, I need you to promise me one thing."-said Hildebrand, suddenly serious.

-"Go ahead, Mr Hildebrand."-said Thompson.-"And call me Brett, if you don't mind."

-"In that case, for the sake of politeness, call me Erich, Brett."-replied Hildebrand.-"The promise I need you to keep is that every word about the Demon Lord said here today does not come out of this house. So please, no cameras, no audio recorders, no notes taken, nothing."

-"OK, Erich. It not like it would matter now."-said Thompson.

-"As far as your documentary goes, it doesn't. But I guess you know that, if everyone knew what I'm going to tell you, they'd be knocking on my door for all the wrong reasons."-said Hildebrand.-"And I don't really like being in the spotlight, let alone for a bunch of vultures."

-"I guess you're right."-said Thompson.-"So, judging by your photos, and what you just told me, it's not like you just _know_ the Demon Lord, right?"

Hildebrand chuckled.

-"You could make your living as a detective, Brett."-he said.-"Yes; back then, I was known by many names, but I guess the one that made it to the books was the Demon Lord."

-"So, you're _the_ Demon Lord!?"-asked Thompson.-"I mean, the real one?"

-"Well, officially, I was known as Galm 1, or Cipher."-answered Hildebrand.-"So, where do we start?"

-"How about we start from the beginning, Erich?"-asked Thompson.

-"I guess we'll have to start from the very beginning to better understand the full ordeal. I was born in a small town west of Sudentor, on June 6th, 1970. I grew up seeing Belka dwindle both economically and politically, until it fell under control of the so-called Liberal Democratic Party in 1991, which was nothing but a cover for the Rald Party."-replied Hildebrand, bitterly.-"Things were already bad enough without a fascist party controlling Belka, and I knew things would only get worse from there, so shortly after that, I left Belka and headed for Ustio, to try and make a living as a mercenary pilot. However, things would turn out to be very different."

-"How much?"-asked Thompson.

-"Well, I guess that it was a matter of time before Belka stepped in and claimed back "what it was theirs", something I should have seen coming."-said Hildebrand.

* * *

Prologue of Chronicles of a Demon. You might be wondering why it ends so abruptly, but thing is, I want to make three different endings for each ace style, so the next chapters will be the three different endings, and thus I will upload the three of them once I finish them. Regarding my other fics, I'm trying to choose which aircraft to feature in either fic, but the list of Joint Assault's sequel, whose name I won't reveal until I publish it, is even longer than its predecessor, and it will feature different weaponry and more characters. Good luck and take care. See you next time


	2. Mercenary Ending

**Ace Combat: Chronicles of a Demon**

 **Ending 1:Mercenary**

 **AN** : _Hello again. I'm AurelianAce, and before we continue with the three different endings, I'm going something really important out of the way. In this fic, I'm not going to just write down Cipher's opinions on the aces interviewed in the game, but Cipher's recollections of the Belkan War (or at least, my humble view of how Cipher recalls the events). The aces will obviously remain the same, but as all those who have played the game, or at the very least have watched playthroughs of the game, there are missions where you get to choose which operation you take part in, these being Juggernaut, Merlon and The Final Overture. After some research, I've decided that the following routes are the more fitting for the respective Ace Styles:_

 _-Mercenary: Round Hammer (Juggernaut), Beta (Merlon) and Mars (The Final Overture)._

 _-Soldier: Costner (Juggernaut), Alpha (Merlon) and Mercury (The Final Overture)._

 _-Knight: Gelnikos (Juggernaut), Theta (Merlon) and Jupiter (The Final Overture)._

 _With that out of the way, let's continue..._

* * *

 _Cipher's cottage, Ustio, July 15th 2008, 13:18 Hours; Weather: Cloudy_

Erich Hildebrand took a sip of wine and continued.

-"Belkans saw us mercenaries as a bunch of unsightly, lousy, money-hungry bastards with no honor."-he said.-"To tell the truth, our opinion, or at least mine, about the Belkan invaders was no better. Those fascist swines kicked in the door of a country they had sold long before the war, and the way they tried to claim it back was not tolerable."

-"You had a wingman when the war started, right?"-said Brett Thompson.-"It was Larry Foulke, if I'm not mistaken."

-"Oh, yeah, _him_."-replied Hildebrand, with a bitter chuckle.-"What an idealistic bloke! At least he was not a shabby pilot, or at least that what you might think of a pilot capable of returning from a combat mission with a wing torn off and live to tell the tale. We met shortly before our first mission together. The ironic thing was that, since we were both South Belkans, we were closer to each other than with any other member in the base."

-"What happened during your first mission, if it's not much to ask?"-asked Thompson.

-"Don't worry about asking. Just keep your word of keeping your mouth shut about this conversation."-said Hildebrand.-"Well, our first mission was to intercept a flight of bombers before they reached our base and bombed it to the Stone Age. During that mission, I piloted a J35J Draken, which is the plane in the photo you almost dropped. Just before we intercepted the bombers, he told me that he had heard stories about me, and that he heard that I never let my prey to get away, to which I responded "Pixy, the prey you let escape today is the hunter that will kill you tomorrow." The mission proceeded smoothly. It was nothing much, just a bunch of B-52s, BM-335s and their escorts. Taking them out was easy, and trust me, I didn't regret shooting down retreating pilots."

-"Guess the Belkans frowned upon that."-said Thompson.-"Even I think that was a bit extreme."

-"Brett, I already said that the prey you let escape today is the hunter that will kill you tomorrow. And besides, I knew that, if it had been me the one who needed to retreat, I would have been shot down too."-replied Hildebrand.-"Also, I earned cash for every aircraft I shot down, which I would need to buy more weapons or better aircraft. After the end of our first mission, Foulke said that he thought that he and I would get along just fine and that I had potential. It was also the first time he called me "Buddy"."

-"Did you deified money?"-asked Thompson.

-"Not much. I mean, the money itself was good, but the fact that I got the chance to fight back against the Belkans, and that I got paid for it, gave me life."-answered Hildebrand.-"Our next mission was an attack on Belkan ground forces over Route 171, on Arlon, Sapin. I made a lot of cash during that mission by destroying anything and everything on the ground, and shooting down those Belkan pilots foolish enough to get in my way. And I needed all the cash I could get, since I had ordered a new aircraft to replace the J35J."

-"You mean, your emblematic F-15?"-said Thompson.

-"Yep, the F-15C Eagle."-replied Hildebrand.-"And man, was it a beauty. Faster than almost any aircraft, tough enough to withstand heavy fire, quite maneuverable for its size, and armed to the proverbial teeth. There was only one mayor flaw: it had no capacity to carry air-to-ground ordnance, which could and would have hampered my income during the war. So I had the mechanics and engineers modify it to, at least, carry large unguided bombs. However, that had a steep price, and when all was said and done, I was pretty low on cash. Fortunately, I would have a chance to get some of my money back, and in a way I couldn't have seen coming."

-"Was it then when you faced Detlef Fleisher, i.e., Rot 1?"-asked Thompson.

-"In fact, before that guy even entered B7R's airspace, Foulke and I had shot down each and every last Belkan aircraft in the area."-answered Hildebrand.-"However, the breather would not last long. Shortly after our AWACS' warning, four Typhoons of the Rot Squadron attacked Foulke and me. At the moment, I was not sure who this guy was, but two things were certain about this guy: One, he was far better than any of the so-called pilots I had faced until then, and two, he was angry as a Sapinnish Fighting Bull, calling us "mercenary dogs". Unfortunately for him and his squadron, not only did his provocations worked with all the wrong consequences, but I was even better than him, and I ended up shooting down the entire squadron."

-"What happened after that?"-asked Thompson.-"I mean, when you got back to base?"

-"Well, as I said before, I didn't know who this guy was."-replied Hildebrand.-"At the moment, all that mattered was that I had shot down an entire squadron, and that I would get a lot of credit, both fame-wise and money-wise, for it. What I didn't expect was that the flight lead of that squad turned out to be the poster boy of the Belkan Air Force. I was bursting with joy when the base commander revealed that in the briefing. Having shot down such a cocksure, proud pilot boosted my morale. It was a bit of a bummer that the mission was nothing but a diversionary one, though."

-"Yeah, it was a mission to give the Osean Forces an opening, right?"-stated Thompson.

-"Foulke was angrier than me, I assure you. I, on the other hand, didn't mind that much being sent on apparently suicide missions. The more dangerous the foe, the better the money."-retorted Hildebrand.-"After that, Foulke and I were sent to the Futuro Canal to take part on the Offensive Campaign 4101."

-"Which was your role in it?"-questioned Thompson.

-"I chose to participate on the Operation Round Hammer."-answered Hildebrand.-"It was both easy and rewarding. Nothing more than an air-to-ground mission, but one with a whole lot of sitting ducks practically begging to be bombed. After that, a bunch of Belkan ships and fighters appeared. Trust me, there's nothing like the rush of adrenaline you get from dodging anti-aircraft fire while you shoot down enemy planes. There was a small problem, however."

-"Which one?"-asked Thompson.

-"I had used a lot of bombs to take out groups of ground targets, like tanks, AA vehicles and fuel tanks."-replied Hildebrand.-"So I decided to save the few bombs I had left to attack the most dangerous ships. I guess you're familiar with the Aegis destroyers."

-"Yeah, I am."-quipped Thompson.

-"Those sons of bitches could blanket the sky with layer after layer of anti-aircraft missiles."-continued Hildebrand.-"However, those defences are turned asunder with a well-placed bomb. I still could have left the ships retreat, since a single bomb is not enough to sink them, but I thought better of it and sank them. Foulke and I earned a lot for that mission."

-"I guess you have."-said Thompson.-"But the Belkans may have frowned upon it."

-"I know, right? Every time I took out a so-called defenceless target, they bitched and moaned over it."-groaned Hildebrand.-"And still I didn't care. Just as my mission over Solis Ortus, where we had to protect some cargo planes of the 101st Airborne Division of Osea. I dropped bombs wherever I had to, in order to both cause as much destruction as possible and to complete the mission. And the interceptors sent to attack the cargo planes were useless anyway, at least in anything but helping me earn more cash."

-"Did you operate the same way when you liberated Directus?"-asked Thompson, fearing an affirmative response.

-"Actually, no, I didn't. Killing the civilians of the same country I was serving was not something I was fond of."-replied Hildebrand, much to Thompson's relief.-"Standard missiles were accurate enough to take down most of the ground units, and I strafed those who did not go down with a single missile. The Belkan planes, on the other hand, were shot down with air-to-air missiles. It was exciting to see the Ustians cheering us up while we took out the Belkans, to be honest. However, just after we took out all Belkan troops in the area, the Coupled Cormorants appeared, as if to challenge our air supremacy over Directus."

-"Coupled Cormorants?"-asked Thompson.

-"Oh, right. As the official records called them, the Gelb Team. Those were tough as nails, to be fair. I mean, I shot them down quickly, but man, they fought back like lions."-replied Hildebrand.-"It was not enough that they piloted Su-37s, which were fast and maneuverable, but they also had backward-firing missiles, which were very close to hitting me a handful of times. In the end, though, I won. And by the looks of it, it appears that only Gelb 2 survived."

-"What are your thoughts of the other aces, by the way?"-said Thompson.

-"Well, let's start with the aces we've talked about so far, starting with Detlef Fleisher. He was right about nations being what they are only if they are supported by the individuals that live in them, I'll give him that; however, what is a nation to the ones that do not support it? You could say that I found out the answer during the Belkan War. Not that I could explain, but I felt what it is not to support a nation."-said Hildebrand.-"In the case of Rainier Altman, I have only a couple of things to say about him; one, that you know you're doing something right when you put fear in the heart of your enemy, and two, I already know that he settled in Directus, and he's been living a nice life here. He has no reason to thank me, however. Regarding Larry Foulke, I saw that, in the documentary, he said that I trusted my "powers" completely, and that I paid no heed to the troubles of the people around me, and he is right. Not that I even had time for that, though. You let your guard down just for one second in the war, and in the next you're gone in a ball of fire, debris, and blood."

-"A very graphic way to describe it, but I guess you're right."-said Thompson.-"Now, back to the issue of the liberation of Directus..."

-"Oh, yeah. I was a tiny bit afraid it would be over."-said Hildebrand.-"I thought I would not have the chance to show the Belkans what happened when they take the war to your nation."

-"But I guess that would not be the case."-guessed Thompson.

-"Bingo. I was bursting with joy when I heard that we had a mission over Glatisant, a fortress at the peak of Mt Ivrea, to destroy anti-aircraft artillery and secure the area for a so-called nuclear inspection. Both Foulke and I knew it was a ruse, though, and Foulke was not happy about it, nor he was subtle about his complaints. I couldn't care less. To me it was a chance to get back at those who blindly followed the Rald Party's rules."-said Hildebrand.-"Although the mission seemed successful, we heard that an entire squadron had gone up in smoke during the mission over Ustio's border. We didn't know it, but it was the first blow of the Excalibur."

-"Excalibur?"-asked Thompson, baffled.

-"Before I elaborate on the Excalibur, I must explain what happened during the next mission."-said Hildebrand.-"Foulke and I were sent to destroy air and ground units over a base in the Schayne Plains to secure a route for a group of transports. When we reached the combat area Foulke said that there was not much difference between the countries from the air. Physically-wise, he was right, but try to tell that to the Belkans while you're in the cockpit of a fighter loaded with bombs and missiles."

-"That's true. I guess the Belkan forces would kill you rather than reason with you in that case."-replied Thompson.-"So, how did the mission go?"

-"Well, at first, it was just another day in paradise. Bombing anti-aircraft positions, shooting down aircraft, the basic stuff."-answered Hildebrand.-"However, the entire battle was the calm before the storm all along. While we escorted the cargo planes so they could land safely, a white flash of light whizzed through the sky, and in the next second, three of the transports exploded. To make matters worse, a laser beam fired intermittently over the area began to shoot down the remaining Allied aircraft. It was then when everyone in the area realized shit had gone south, and that all we could do was get out of the area as soon as possible. In the end, however, only Foulke and I managed to escape alive. When we reached a secure area, I told him: "Another Allied victory like this one, and Belka wins this bloody war."."

-"Only you two managed to survive?"-asked Thompson.-"Did the Ustian Air Force receive any reinforcements after that?"

-"Actually, we did. A small squadron of F-16C pilots. The Crow squadron. It was then when I met Patrick James Beckett. He was even more idealistic than Foulke, and that threshold was vast."-answered Hildebrand.-"The first time the Crow and Galm squadron were deployed together was during the attack on Excalibur."

-"You've mentioned this "Excalibur" thing a handful of times."-observed Thompson.-"Could you please explain what it is?"

-"OK, if you're so eager to know about it, Excalibur was a chemical laser weapon used for long-range interception of ICMBs and, later, aircraft."-replied Hildebrand.-"Before we began our mission, our flight was detected and the Excalibur fired on us, destroying the tanker assignated to us. The two flights headed to attack the four ECM stations that provided cover to Excalibur. It was relatively swift, considering that the Excalibur fired on us at regular intervals, and that we had to change course to avoid being fried by the laser."

-"But in the end, you made it, right?"-said Thompson.

-"Brett, I swear, if I hadn't made it, history as we know it would have been dramatically different."-chuckled Hildebrand."-I have to admit, though, I was spellbound by Excalibur's size. Did you hear of Gaiuss Tower, in Aurelia? The skyscraper built as a symbol of Aurelia's peace? Well, turns out Excalibur was almost as tall as Gaiuss Tower, according to data recovered after the war. When we reached Excalibur, however, it was not only the superweapon itself what we had to worry about, but also a myriad of triple A units, rail-based lasers, and even some fighters. But in the end, I managed to destroy the goddamn Excalibur, and that March 23rd 1995, I was known as "the man who pulled the sword of Tauberg"."

-"So, you had quite the reputiation after that."-guessed Thompson.-"People even called you "The Demon Lord of the Round Table"."

-"Actually, I fought three times over Area B7R, the area known as "The Round Table"."-said Hildebrand.-"The second time, which would turn out to be the last time I would fight over Area B7R during the Belkan War, was the largest air-to-air battle in all of history so far. It had began with an Osean Air Force surprise attack, which turned south as soon as the Belkan Air Force retaliated. Before Foulke, the Crow squadron and I reached the operation area, Osea had lost over 40% of their fighters. To me, it was a chance to make a lot of money, so I started shooting down as many Belkans as I could. However, I heard a handful of things over the radio. It was then when I was refered to as a "Demon" for the first time by the Belkans, the first time I heard the Wizard and Sorcerer squadrons, and the time where I began to find out what kind of men Foulke and Beckett were. Beckett said that he was fighting for peace, but to Foulke, there was no peace in war. I was like "No shit, Sherlock! War is to peace what death is to life. As long as there are men there will be wars.". But soon, I would not have time to worry about all that stuff."

-"The Schwarze squadron, right?"-guessed Thompson.

-"Actually, the first sign of things taking a turn for the worse was the presence of the famous Huckebein "The Raven", who apparently, was defecting to the Allied Forces."-replied Hildebrand.-"At the moment, though, I didn't know it, so I decided to shoot him down, but before I could even turn around to chase him, Foulke, Beckett and I tracked a formation of eight MiG-31 Foxhound. The black paintjob of the planes revealed that it was The Vulture's gang. The flight lead, a Yuktobanian mercenary known as Dominic Zubov, was infamous as an escapee killer, so I considered that shooting him and his group down would be doing this world a favor. While my F-15C could fly circles around their MiG-31s, they were fast as greased lightning. Despite that, I managed to shoot all of them down. However, just before I managed to defeat them, I spotted an Su-47 with a distinctive light brown and navy blue paintjob."

-"And that pilot was..."-said Thompson.

-"Ashley Bernitz, or as I liked to call him, "The Rald Party's Bulldog"."-continued Hildebrand, with a dark expression.-"Apparently, he had already managed to shoot down both Huckebein and some Osean pilot. I just couldn't miss the chance of shooting Bernitz down, so I attacked him without thinking it twice. Bernitz fought viciously, but it was all for naught, as I shot him down after just two minutes."

-"And, after that operation, you became the Demon Lord of the Round Table."-said Thompson.

-"You can say that again. I've gotta say, even though Zubov was not someone I'd want on either side, unlike Bernitz, he was skilled as Hell. He managed to make that MiG-31 look like a tough prey. Bernitz, on the other hand, gave the Su-47 a very bad name."-said Hildebrand.-"The next mission was simple: escorting a flight of Osean B-52s during a bombing over Hoffnung."

-"Oh, yeah, that infamous mission."-said Thompson.-"Please tell me you at least did not attack civilians."

-"About that, I did strafe fuel tanks and factories during the mission."-answered Hildebrand.-"However, I did not attack the civilians, if that's what's bothering you. The civilians, though, should have known better than to remain in Hoffnung if they even suspected that it would be a target due to the inmense amount of factories in the area. Foulke and Beckett argued about that all the time. It was the bombers, however, the ones that caused most of the damage, whereas I took down most of the aircraft in the area, even some stealth fighters and jammer aircraft sent to take out the bombers. When we returned to Valais Air Base, Foulke and I had a very heated argument. Apparently, he had seen me strafe some of the targets over Hoffnung. I claimed that the Belkans deserved everything that came upon them as a consequence of placing their hopes on the Rald Party. Foule shot back by saying that was no excuse to kill civilians. My answer to that was: "Well, excuse me, Mr "Moral Compass"! What the fuck happened to the Foulke that said that people die in war!? Are you going to lecture Beckett for being an idealistic guy and me for not giving a fuck for the Belkans!? Because if you're going to do that, you can shove your moral code where the Sun doesn't shine!" After that, I retired to my room, leaving Foulke brooding about the mission. Which takes us to that fateful day."

-"June 6th, 1995."-said Thompson.-"I saw it in the news back then. 12000 victims."

-"I had just turned 25 that day."-said Hildebrand.-"It was supposed to be a mission over Sudentor, just another day in paradise. Foulke seemed a bit off that day; he was lagging behind me and the Crow team. Before we began, we received a message from HQ. A group of Belkan bombers loaded with nukes had taken off. We engaged the bombers, which were a group of Bm-335s and F-15Es, without even knowing which ones were carrying the nukes. Meanwhile, a group of Belkan MiG-31s engaged the bombers. I paid no heed to these ones, since at the moment, all I cared for was the bombers. After destroying all them, I thought we were in the clear, but boy, oh boy, how wrong I was."

-"How bad was it?"-asked Thompson.

-"Well, one moment we were celebrating our victory, and the next, everything went white, and chaos ensued."-said Hildebrand.-"Our AWACS was frantically trying to comunicate with us, but before we could make head or tails about the situation, I overheard a conversation between Foulke and some unknown pilot, and after Foulke said "Buddy, I've found a reason to fight.", my missile alarm went off. I evaded the missile, looked behind me and saw that the guy firing on me was my own wingman."

-"Are you serious?"-asked Thompson, baffled.-"I mean, I know you guys became enemies later, but for Foulke to actually fire on you..."

-"Oh, believe me, I was as surprised as you back then."-replied Hildebrand.-"Then I heard that Belkan reinforcements were en route to our position, and while I was taking them out, Foulke took his chance to escape. The last thing he said was "This is where we go our separate ways." to what I replied "Foulke, for your sake, pray that our paths do not cross again, you traitor."."

-"Wait, did you mean it?"-said Thompson.

-"Brett, he had just turned into my enemy."-said Hildebrand.-"There was no way I'd forgive him after he betrayed me like that."

-"So, what happened after that, Erich?"-asked Thompson.

-"I was transfered along with Beckett to Heierlark Base in Osea for an attack on Yering Mine's vicinity, near Mount Schirm, to take out various Belkan divisions that refused to surrender."-answered Hildebrand.-"It was nothing much, just yet another multirole mission, but at the beginning, I had to endure Beckett's chatter. I mean, he was a nice, likable guy, but listening to his idle chatter and his love for polo was too much for me. When I had enough of it, I told him "PJ, do you know what I like the most of your chatter? The sound it makes when it stops." He got the message, since he barely said anything irrelevant during the mission. However, although we took out almost everything in the area, we missed a large hangar, which hid something that would turn out to be a huge threat months later."

-"The XB-0, from A World With No Boundaries."-guessed Thompson.

-"You're right. But before that, we had yet another mission, this time over Anfang, to take out land and sea units during the peace ceremony in Lumen."-said Hildebrand.-"Beckett kept repeating that there were too many forces to be mere remnant Belkan forces. I didn't care, though, since more targets meant more money to me. However, after that mission, I was by all intents and purposes, out of the job. The Ustio government was supposedly discussing our future in the Air Force, but I thought that was a mere formality. For six months, things were really quiet, and that unnerved me. But on December 25th, just six days before we were due to get word of our future, the XB-0 Hresvelgr attacked our base."

-"The XB-0 attacked the base!?"-asked Thompson.-"It must have been utter chaos there."

-"It was as if the gates of Hell opened over our heads and poured a shower of white hot steel."-replied Hildebrand.-"Even I was taken aback by its size while I waited for clearence for takeoff. Luckily for Beckett and I, the runway remained almost intact, although almost of the anti-aircraft guns had been strafed by the XB-0 and its escorts."

-"Among them, the Espada Team, right?"-asked Thompson.

-"In fact, we had to fight them before we could even fire on the XB-0. And even reaching the airspace where it was took us a bit. On our way, Beckett and I flew over the area where the nukes were detonated back on June. I have to admit, it was an appalling sight. Finally, we got visual on the XB-0 over the Waldreich Mountains, heading north in an attempt to escape."-explained Hildebrand.-"At that moment, the Espada Team, a couple of Sapin Air Force pilots, engaged us. Our AWACS and Beckett tried to reason with them, but I knew it was futile. I counterattacked and shot down the flight lead, a guy piloting a J35J with a red paintjob, black radome and dorsal stripe, and yellow stripes in an X on the wings. The other pilot, Marcela Vasquez, piloting a Rafale M with a dark grey paintjob, red stabilizer, and red and yellow stripes on the wings, tried to avenge her fallen comrade, but didn't last long either. The rest of the escorts were even easier. Like, who the fuck brings B-2s to escort missions? If anything, they're just a distraction."

-"Maybe that's what AWWNB was looking for."-suggested Thompson.-"Also, since they attacked Lumen before attacking Valais, they were involved in the bombing too."

-"Hmm, now that you mention it, you're probably right, Brett. But then again, in the best case scenario, those bombers only made me waste a handful of seconds. Not even enough to give the XB-0 room to escape. I have to admit, however, that the XB-0 itself was really well-armed. As soon as we got close enough, Beckett and I were greeted with a storm of AA rounds and air-to-air missiles."-replied Hildebrand.-"It was no easy task, but in the end, Beckett and I destroyed all the anti-aircraft artillery and the engines, before I attacked the cockpit, dealing the final blow to that cursed airborne fortress. After that, however, we received a coded message that caught me completely off-guard."

-"From Foulke, I guess."-supposed Thompson.

-"Well, the message was "Yo, Buddy. You still alive?", so you can imagine I assumed that it was him."-said Hildebrand.-"At first, I was so shocked I couldn't even speak. Seconds later, however, that surprise gave way to wrath. I was fuming; Foulke, the same guy who had the balls to try and shoot me down in an act of treason, dared to return to the battlefield, and fighting for the enemy, no less."

-"I see. That must have been traumatic for you, Erich."-observed Thompson.-"What happened next?"

-"Beckett and I sortied on a final mission against A World With No Boundaries. Their HQ was on Avalon Dam, where they intended to launch a new type of missile, the V2, to blackmail the world into doing their bidding."-answered Hildebrand.-"Before that, Beckett and I flew over Area B7R, which was supposedly a shortcut to our destination. However, while we were over Area B7R, we were attacked by the Sorcerer Squadron, led by Anthony Palmer. Eight F-15S/MTDs sporting a white, blue and black paintjob attacked us, and believe me, it was an intense fight. But in the end, the eight pilots were shot down. Somehow, I could tell that Palmer was a bit off in his flight. Something was bugging him. I guess it was fear, or at least that's what he said in your documentary."

-"Yes, he was afraid of you. And he also said he had never felt something like that before."-said Thompson.-"So, after that encounter..."

-"Beckett and I rendezvous with the tankers to refuel before the final attack on Avalon Dam."-said Hildebrand.-"The tanker pilot asked us why we were late, and I replied "Boy, if you had dogfighted a handful of F-15S/MTDs, it would have taken you a whole lot more, _if_ you were lucky." After that, Beckett and I flew through a canyon while a group of Osean fighters drew the triple A over themselves. Yes, the Avalon Dam facility was covered by a massive anti-aircraft defence network, and not even I was willing to fly through that. The canyon, which had its fair share of airborne and ground targets, was the safe option."

-"Was it difficult?"-asked Thompson.

-"AA guns, SAM launchers, pileboxes, enemy aircraft... A World With No Boundaries was pouring everything in that operation. The Osean forces had been almost completely eliminated by the time Beckett and I reached the dam."-explained Hildebrand.-"But for us, it was not much. I flew into the missile silos to destroy them, while Beckett crossed all targets that could have attacked me during my way out of the silos. A couple of runs was enough to destroy all of them, and, while our AWACS assertained the situation, Beckett rambled about proposing to his girlfriend back in the base. And just at that moment, things took a turn for the worse."

-"What do you mean?"-said Thompson.

-"Suddenly, our AWACS told us that there was a bandit heading fast towards us. Beckett then broke hard left. Whether it was to evade the attack or to protect me, I'll never know. At that moment, a laser hit his F-16C right under the canopy, and Beckett drifted off and his plane exploded."-said Hildebrand.-"His death didn't catch me by surprise, but it was a bit sad nonetheless. He was my wingman after all. And then, over the radio, an all too familiar voice said some words that will be etched in my memory forever: "So, have you found a reason to fight yet? Buddy.""

-"Larry Foulke, I guess."-sighed Thompson.

-"You couldn't be any more right. And it was the first time in a very long time that I was happy to hear his voice; this time, however, my joy stemmed from a very different reason. I was really eager to shoot him down. To me, it was no longer about the money or about doing the right thing, or even for the right reason. It was for only two things: one, to show him that I was the number one in the skies, and that nobody could dare to defy me and expect to survive, and two, for pure, unrelenting revenge."-replied Hildebrand.-"I have to admit, however, his aircraft, which had forward swept wings, and some sort of laser pod over its fuselage, and also sported Foulke's paintjob, was as beautiful as it was deadly. I attacked Foulke just as viciously as he attacked me, with the only difference being that, while I used missiles and bullets, he also used that laser, which he swung across like some kind of sword. My AWACS said that he was controlling the V2 launch, while Foulke rambled about his ideals. I couldn't care less about it. It was a battle of aces, and I was going to enjoy it until the very end. Some time later, the laser pod fell off, possibly due to the damage it sustained from the attacks. But then, he pulled out another superweapon: some missile that could clear an entire area with a huge explosion."

-"Nuclear air-to-air missiles, maybe?"-asked Thompson.

-"Not exactly. Unlike back in Sudentor, my F-15C's avionics didn't go apeshit. But believe me, as far as firepower goes, these new missiles packed quite a wallop. They weren't accurate by any means, but I'm sure that just one of those missiles would have been enough to wipe out an entire bomber squadron."-answered Hildebrand.-"I managed to damage Foulke's aircraft enough to make him ditch his missiles, but that's when he resorted to launching the V2."

-"No way!"-gasped Thompson.-"He actually managed to launch it?"

-"Not only that, but shooting down Foulke was the only way to stop the missile, since it entered boost phase in an instant, and not even my F-15C could catch up with it. To add insult to injury, his aircraft's only weak points were the engine air intakes. That's when Foulke made the most of his aircraft, whose codename was Morgan."-said Hildebrand.-"We attacked each other headon, while Foulke said that we were two sides of the same coin, that when we faced each other we saw our true selves, and that while there was some resemblance, we never faced the same direction. And it was the first time I agreed with him in a very long time. I was not the only one who managed to land some hits, though; I ended up losing part of my left wing in the combat."

-"Really?"-asked Thompson.-"How much did you lose?"

-"I'd say that I lost 15% to 20% of my total wingspan. Not as much as Foulke had lost back in his day, but I could feel the controls were a bit stiff."-replied Hildebrand.-"But in the end, I won once again. Foulke fought back until the very last second, to the point where he tried to collide with me when he lost control of the Morgan. I dodged him, and shortly after that, his aircraft exploded. The joy I felt at that moment cannot be properly described with words."

-"Before we end this, I'd like to hear your opinion of Vasquez, Palmer and Foulke."-said Thompson.

-"I'll start with Vasquez. I had nothing personal against her or her flight lead. They just happened to be at the wrong place, at the wrong time, and on the wrong side. They chose to follow A World With No Boundaries, so they brought everything upon themselves, just like the Belkans. As for Palmer, I have to say, he fought ferociously, even if he was afraid of me. He was right about one thing. I'll always have a place to live, but as you may have noticed, that place is no longer the battlefield."-said Hildebrand, as he took the last sip of his wine cup.-"And finally, let's talk about Foulke. I'm actually surprised he's alive, and still fighting to find what borders mean. But I couldn't care less about him right now. He chose his path, and I chose mine. I can't forgive him for his betrayal, or for shooting down my wingman, no matter how annoying he may had been."

-"So, what did you do after A World With No Boundaries was eliminated?"-asked Thompson.

-"First thing I did was to rescind my contract with the Ustian Air Force, and sell my aircraft for scrap after making sure all markings had been erased."-replied Hildebrand.-"With the remaining money I had, I settled down here, to spend the rest of my days alone. I'm sure anyone close to me would eventually find out I was the Demon Lord of the Round Table, and then, they'd either leave me or stay with me just for the fame, and that's something I just loathe. And now, as you see, I'm living a tranquil life here, with no worries at all."

-"I see."-said Thompson.-"Thank you for the interview, Erich."

-"No problem."-said Hildebrand.-"Just let me make something very clear for you, Brett: I only told you all of this because you needed some closure after your documentary. I will not do this for anybody else. And if you make the mistake of telling anyone anything of what we talked about today, I'll personally make you regret it. I respond very badly to betrayal, and this is no exception."

-"OK, OK. I promise I'll never tell anybody anything about this."-swore Thompson.

-"Very well, I'll hold you to that."-said Hildebrand, more calm now.-"The next flight to Oured is scheduled at dusk, so since we have a whole afternoon before us, it would be very impolite of me to chase you off of my house now. So, for the time being, get some rest. I'll take you to the airport later."

Thompson spent the rest of the afternoon at Hildebrand's house.

-" _The Demon Lord really makes honor to his nickname._ "-he mused while Hildebrand retired to his room to have a nap.-" _He may seem like any other person, but he can be terrifying if he gets angry. I feel sorry for the people he shot down during the Belkan War and the fight against A World With No Boundaries. That being said, Erich still has a bit of a human side on him._ "

At 7:30 AM, Hildebrand took Thompson to the airport.

-"Well, I hope you found the answers you were looking for."-said Hildebrand.-"If you need anything, give me a call, unless it's about the Belkan War. I already told you everything you needed to know."

-"Thank you again for everything."-said Thompson, shaking Hildebrand's hand.-"I'll keep it in mind."

After that, at 9:55, Thompson was on his way back to Osea.

-" _I wonder why Erich lives alone._ "-he though, as he stared outside of the airliner's window next to his seat and into the sunset.-" _Is it because he doesn't like being the center of attention, or is it for some other reason?_ "

Meanwhile, back in his home, Hildebrand took out another picture that was placed inside a small drawer in his desk. It was the last photo he had taken back in Valais Air Base, just before that fateful mission over Avalon Dam. It depicted him and Beckett, a young boy with blonde, nicely combed hair and grey eyes, smiling for the camera. Some minutes later, he started to cry...

* * *

Mercenary ending of Chronicles of a Demon. I can't help but feel ashamed that it took me almost an ENTIRE MONTH to write this chapter, but Steam Summer Sells took their toll on me, my wallet, and my time. And I'm still trying to decide which aircraft to feature in my sequel fics, which is not an easy task. I'm a bit afraid that I might not be able to write them down before the end of this summer, even though I promised I'd start writing them this summer. Please forgive me for that. Also, I decided to upload this chapter before the Soldier and Knight endings because it will give me some feedback that will help me write down the other two endings. Good luck and take care. See you next time


	3. Soldier Ending

**Ace Combat: Chronicles of a Demon**

 **Ending 2: Soldier**

 _To Goku76:_

 _Thank you for your review. I'm glad you liked the Mercenary ending, including the little twist in the end of the chapter. I wanted to portray MercenaryCipher as an aggressive yet humane pilot. If I had to describe each variant of Cipher using Dungeon and Dragon alignments, MercenaryCipher would be Chaotic Neutral, SoldierCipher would be Lawful Neutral, and KnightCipher would be Neutral Good. I hope you enjoy the next chapters, and that my description of each variant, or iteration, of Cipher, meets not only your expectation, but all my readers's._

* * *

 _Cipher's cottage, Ustio, July 15th 2008, 13:18 Hours; Weather: Cloudy_

Erich Hildebrand took a sip of wine before continuing.

-"Unlike what the Belkans thought of us, we mercenaries are just like every soldier."-he said.-"Soldiers, whether they are regulars or mercs, have a duty with the country they serve on, and protecting Ustio from Belka was imperative at the moment."

-"Your wingman back then was Larry Foulke, right?"-said Brett Thompson.

-"Ah, Pixy! Those were better days."-replied Hildebrand, with a nostalgic sigh.-"His only fault was that he was a bit too idealistic, but no human is perfect. Although I have to give him a lot of credit, however. During one of his missions before he joined the Ustio Air Force, not only he managed to return to base and land safely after losing one wing, but he also bagged eleven bandits in the process. He was a double ace with a broken wing who lived to tell the tale, and that's where the "Solo-Wing Pixy" nickname comes from. I was surprised to say the least when he was put under my command on my first mission."

-"What did you have to do back then?"-asked Thompson.

-"Our first mission's objectives were a squadron of Belkan B-52s and BM-335s on their way to bomb Valais Air Base, Ustio's last remaining airbase."-said Hildebrand.-"The plane I piloted was an old but reliable J35J Draken, an underpowered but agile aircraft. Before we reached the bombers, Pixy said that he had heard stories about me, and that it was said that I had what it took to win, to which I replied: "I hope you're right about it, Pixy. The best victories are the ones you can live to tell others about.". It wasn't long until we got visual on the bombers, and their escorts. I shot down almost all of the bombers, except a couple of them, which chose to retreat after sustaining too much damage. Some fighters were also damaged, but I chose to shoot those down."

-"I'm not going to think less of you for that."-said Thompson.-"But, why did you shoot down the fighters?"

-"For two reasons: first, a small fighter can dodge missiles with much more ease than a large, slow bomber, and two, I felt that it was more humane to shoot down a single pilot per aircraft, instead of a whole crew inside a bomber. I know that I had already shot down many bombers in that mission alone, but the less blood on my hand, the better."-replied Hildebrand.-"I also earned cash for every aircraft I shot down, which I would need to buy more weapons or better aircraft to carry out my missions more efficiently. After the end of our first mission, Foulke said that he thought that we would get along just fine and that I had potential. It was also the first time he called me "Buddy"."

-"Did you fight for money alone, or was there something else to it?"-asked Thompson.

-"I didn't fight for money or to get the Belkans back for their invasion of Ustio. To me, it was only because of my duty for my country."-answered Hildebrand.-"Our next mission was an attack on Belkan ground forces over Route 171, on Arlon, Sapin. I would have made a lot of cash during that mission if I had gone all out against the Belkans, but there were civilian buildings on the way, which I left intact. But I was not merciful against the Belkans. I couldn't afford it, though, since I'm sure that, if it had been me, I would have been killed too. Despite that, I had earned enough money to afford a new aircraft to replace the J35J."

-"You mean, your emblematic F-15?"-said Thompson.

-"Yes, the F-15C Eagle."-replied Hildebrand.-"Pixy had shown me how good that aircraft was: very high speed, high maneuverability, very resillient to damage, and armed with some of the most advanced air-to-air weapons. But it had a major flaw: it was designed following the mantra "Not a pound for air to ground". Well, an expert pilot could use the gun to strafe targets on ground, but it would be just north of useless against the hardest targets. However, I had it modified to carry large unguided bombs for air-to-ground missions whenever I needed, but those modifications came at a high cost to my wallet. Nonetheless, my first mission would be an air-to-air one, and it would bring me face-to-face with one of the most skilled aces in the history of the Belkan Air Force."

-"Was it then when you faced Bernhard Schmidt?"-asked Thompson.

-"Yes, him. Before he attacked Pixy and me, we had engaged and destroyed a lot of Belkan fighters over the famous Area B7R, a.k.a, The Round Table. Those pilots fought hard, but they were no match for us."-answered Hildebrand.-"However, just seconds after we had cleared the area, four F/A-18Cs with a weird green camo, grey radome, and red trims on the wings and rudders headed straight towards Pixy and me, intent on shooting us down. It was a thrilling fight. Even though the F/A-18C is not as good in high-G turns as the F-15C and not nearly as fast, Grun 1 and his men capitalized on the aircrafts' stability. Hell, I even stalled a couple of times, and I would have been a goner if Pixy hadn't saved my bacon. But despite all that, I managed to get three kills, with Pixy getting the other one."

-"What happened when you returned to base?"-asked Thompson.

-"I was received as a hero of sorts."-replied Hildebrand.-"Grun Team turned out to have been quite a pain for the Allied Forces because of their skill; those Belkan pilots could adapt to any kind of situation in an instant, and turn the tide of battle even when the odds were against them. I was proud, of sure, not because I had shot them down, but because they had been phenomenal opponents. However, it was a bummer that the mission over Area B7R was just a distraction to keep the Belkans from seeing the big picture."

-"Yeah, the Osean forces were seizing the chance to get a foothold on the Futuro Canal."-stated Thompson.

-"Foulke was angrier than me, I assure you. But I didn't mind it that much. I was proud of serving Ustio to the best of my abilities."-retorted Hildebrand.-"After that, Foulke and I were sent to the Futuro Canal to take part on the Offensive Campaign 4101."

-"Which was your role in it?"-questioned Thompson.

-"I chose to participate on the Operation Costner, where we were tasked to protect the aircraft carrier Kestrel on its first mission."-answered Hildebrand.-"Even though it had escorts, the Kestrel was a prime target for the Belkans, and they would surely sink it without a second thought if given the chance. Pixy and I were tasked to ensure that didn't happen. As soon as Belkan fighters were detected, we headed straight for them, shooting down flight after flight of bandits. Even then, some of the escorts ships took hits, but nothing too serious, and the Kestrel passed the canal intact."

-"Glad to hear the pride and joy of the Osean Maritime Defence Force made it."-said Thompson.-"But the Belkans would not have been happy about it."

-"Trust me, they weren't."-said Hildebrand.-"The next mission took place over Solis Ortus, where we had to escort cargo planes carrying Osean paratroopers. My mission was to protect them from airborne and anti-aircraft units at all costs. The sky was blanketed with flak, and that posed a problem to the cargo planes, so I headed straight into the mouth of the devil to protect those soldiers, since that was my mission. Some interceptors tried to take down the transports when the triple As began to falter, but they didn't make it far; Pixy and I saw to it."

-"Which was your next mission?"-asked Thompson.

-"What happened after that mission was something the soldiers of the Ustio Forces were looking from the very first day of the war: the liberation of Ustio."-replied Hildebrand.-"Most of the Belkan forces in the area were ground-based, but taking them out was a piece of cake, and the few aircraft and helicopters in the area were easy to take out as well. All the while, the church's bells were going off, symbolizing the liberation of the city. But peace was not bound to last for too long, for, just as we had liberated Ustio, the Coupled Cormorants attacked us, apparently having reached the airspace too late to prevent us from liberating Ustio."

-"Coupled Cormorants?"-asked Thompson.

-"Oh, right. As the official records called them, the Gelb Team. The skill of the pilots coupled with their advanced Su-37s was a combination that could have overwhelmed any other squadron."-replied Hildebrand.-"Furthermore, they carried backward-firing missiles, which almost hit me and Pixy a handful of times. Despite that, we won, and the flight lead died while his wingman survived."

-"What are your thoughts of the other aces, by the way?"-said Thompson.

-"Well, let's start with the aces we've talked about so far, starting with Bernhard Schmidt. It really was a good fight, and believe it or not, I enjoyed it, not because I shot him down, but because he proved that not all Belkan pilots were all talk and no guts. And his views on life are not far-fetched. In life, if you stop paying attention for one second, you're dead."-said Hildebrand.-"In the case of Rainier Altman, things are almost the same, but I also feel a bit sorry for him. I would have loved to face him while he was at his best condition; he and his flight lead had just been sent to the battlefield poorly armed, low on fuel and tired. Regarding Larry Foulke, I saw that, in the documentary, he said that I unstoppable, that I could change the tide of battle in an instant, that it was hell trying to keep up with me, and that I was born for combat. He was not off at all, but combat is not something you're born for. All humans, no matter how they choose to live afterwards, are born to love, not to fight. If you choose to fight, you have to be tough enough to endure everything life hands to you, good or bad."

-"I couldn't describe it better, Erich."-said Thompson.-"Now, back to the issue of the liberation of Directus..."

-"Oh, yeah. I was happy it would be over."-said Hildebrand.-"I thought I had finally fulfilled my duty as a soldier to Ustio."

-"But I guess that would not be the case."-guessed Thompson.

-"Bingo. I was surprised when I heard that we had a mission over Glatisant, a fortress at the peak of Mt Ivrea, to destroy anti-aircraft artillery and secure the area for a so-called nuclear inspection. Both Pixy and I knew it was a ruse, though, and he was not happy about it, nor he was subtle about his complaints. To me, it was just another mission, and complaining about it wouldn't get it done, like it or not. Glatisant seemed to be protected by what I estimated was at the very least 60% of all of Belka's anti-aircraft artillery. The sky was blanketed with flak, anti-aircraft bursts, SAMs, and even fighters. It was almost impossible to overcome all that, but Pixy and I managed to destroy all of our targets and return to base unharmed."-said Hildebrand.-"Although the mission seemed successful, we heard that an entire squadron had gone up in smoke during the mission over Ustio's border. We didn't know it, but it was the first blow of the Excalibur."

-"Excalibur?"-asked Thompson, baffled.

-"Before I tell you all about the Excalibur, I must explain what happened during the next mission."-said Hildebrand.-"Pixy and I were sent to neutralize a base in the Schayne Plains to secure a route for a group of transports. When we reached the combat area Pixy said that there was not much difference between the countries from the air. And I agreed with him. Borders are just a fabrication of politicians, whether we like it or not, and the Belkans were ready to protect their country at all costs, especially from mercenaries like me."

-"That's true. I guess the Belkan forces would kill an enemy soldier rathen than reason with them."-replied Thompson.-"So, how did the mission go?"

-"Well, at first, it was just another mission. Taking out the ground units was easy, since only the triple A could fire on us."-answered Hildebrand.-"However, the entire battle was the calm before the storm all along. While we escorted the cargo planes so they could land safely, a white flash of light whizzed through the sky, and in the next second, three of the transports exploded. To make matters worse, a laser beam fired intermittently over the area began to shoot down the remaining Allied aircraft trying to leave the area. It was then when everyone in the area realized shit had gone south, and that all we could do was run like bats out of Hell. In the end, however, only Foulke and I managed to escape alive. When we reached a secure area, I told him: "This mission has turned out to be a tactician's nightmare. I hope victory does not come at this price anymore."."

-"Only you two managed to survive?"-asked Thompson.-"Did the Ustian Air Force receive any reinforcements after that?"

-"In fact, we did. A small squadron of F-16C pilots. The Crow squadron. It was then when I met Patrick James Beckett, or PJ. He was even more idealistic than Foulke, and that threshold was vast."-answered Hildebrand.-"The first time the Crow and Galm squadron were deployed together was during the attack on Excalibur."

-"You've mentioned this "Excalibur" thing a handful of times."-observed Thompson.-"Could you please explain what it is?"

-"Excalibur was a chemical laser weapon used for long-range interception of ICMBs and, later, aircraft."-replied Hildebrand.-"Before we began our mission, our flight was detected and the Excalibur fired on us, destroying the tanker assigned to us. The two flights headed to attack the four ECM stations that provided cover to Excalibur. It was relatively swift, considering that the Excalibur fired on us at regular intervals, and that we had to change course to avoid being fried by the laser."

-"But in the end, you made it, right?"-said Thompson.

-"Hell, if I didn't, we wouldn't be talking about it right now."-replied Hildebrand."-I have to admit, though, I was spellbound by Excalibur's size. Did you hear of Gaiuss Tower, in Aurelia? The skyscraper built as a symbol of Aurelia's peace? Well, turns out Excalibur was almost as tall as Gaiuss Tower, according to data recovered after the war. When we reached Excalibur, however, it was not only the superweapon itself what we had to worry about, but also a myriad of triple A units, rail-based lasers, and even some fighters. But in the end, I managed to destroy Excalibur, and since that day, I was known as "the man who pulled the sword of Tauberg"."

-"So, you had quite the reputiation after that."-guessed Thompson.-"People even called you "The Demon Lord of the Round Table"."

-"Actually, I fought three times over Area B7R, the area known as "The Round Table"."-said Hildebrand.-"The second time, which would turn out to be the last time I would fight over Area B7R during the Belkan War, was the largest air-to-air battle in all of history so far. It had began with an Osean Air Force surprise attack, which turned south as soon as the Belkan Air Force retaliated. Before the Galm and Crow teams reached the operation area, Osea had lost over 40% of their fighters. To me, it was another chance to serve Ustio to the best of my abilities. However, I heard a handful of things over the radio. It was then when I was refered to as a "Demon" for the first time by the Belkans, the first time I heard the Wizard and Sorcerer squadrons, and the time where I began to find out what kind of men Pixy and PJ were. PJ said that he was fighting for peace, but to Pixy, there was no peace in war. I was like "That's why soldiers exist; to fight for the civilians that can't or don't want to. Those who are not prepared for the harshness of the battlefield cannot understand the true nature of war.". But soon, I would not have time to worry about all that stuff."

-"The Schnee squadron, right?"-guessed Thompson.

-"Yep. As soon as the Belkan forces had began to retreat, the Schnee squadron appeared and engaged Pixy and I. It was a true nightmare. Those F-14D Super Tomcats carry missiles whose range exceeds by far those of my F-15C's. Combine that with an EA-6B Prowler providing ECM support, and any other pilot would have been taken out."-replied Hildebrand.-"So the obvious choice was to attack the EA-6B Prowler first, in order to tip the balance to our favor. It was not easy with those four F-14Ds, which sported a dark grey paintjob with white trims and radome and black cockpit stripe, firing on Pixy and I while we attacked the EA-6B. But once we shot down the EA-6B, it was easy to counterattack, and the Schnee squadron, including the flight lead, Erich Hillenbrand."

-"And, after that operation, you became the Demon Lord of the Round Table."-said Thompson.

-"I was called Demon Lord for the first time during that battle. I feel a bit sorry for Hillenbrand, but he was my enemy, so I had no choice but to shoot him down, no matter the consequences. I also wish I could fight him again, under better circumnstances, but since I already retired a long time ago, that's not gonna be possible."-said Hildebrand.-"The next mission was simple: escorting a flight of Osean B-52s during a bombing over Hoffnung."

-"Oh, yeah, that infamous mission."-said Thompson.-"Please tell me you at least did not attack civilians."

-"I only attacked military targets during the mission, whether they were active or not."-answered Hildebrand.-"However, I did not attack the civilians, if that's what's bothering you. Those were the targets assigned to the bombers, and they did not hold back, unfortunately for Hoffnung. They even fired long-range air-to-ground missiles on the city. Pixy and PJ argued about that all the time. It was the bombers, however, the ones that caused most of the damage, whereas I took down most of the aircraft in the area, even some stealth fighters and jammer aircraft sent to take out the bombers. When we returned to Valais Air Base, Pixy and I reflected on the mission. He said that it would have been better if the entire bomber squadron had been shot down, instead of the one that had been shot down after they dropped every last bomb, to which I replied: "Foulke, we're paid to follow our superior's orders, not to follow our beliefs on the battlefield. Sure, this mission was an uncalled for bloodbath, but there's nothing we can do about it. After all, I'm too sure the higher-ups won't listen to us.". After that, I retired to my room, leaving Foulke brooding about the mission. Which takes us to that fateful day."

-"June 6th, 1995."-said Thompson.-"I saw it in the news back then. 12000 victims."

-"I had just turned 25 that day."-said Hildebrand.-"It was supposed to be a mission over Sudentor, just another day in paradise. Pixy seemed a bit off that day; he was lagging behind me and the Crow team. Before we reached the combat area, we received a message from HQ. A group of Belkan bombers loaded with nukes had taken off. We engaged the bombers as soon as we reached them, which were a group of Bm-335s and F-15Es, without even knowing which ones were carrying the nukes. Meanwhile, a group of Belkan MiG-31s engaged the bombers. I paid no heed to these ones, since at the moment, all I cared for was the bombers. After destroying all them, I thought we were in the clear, but boy, oh boy, how wrong I was."

-"How bad was it?"-asked Thompson.

-"Well, one moment we were celebrating our victory, and the next, everything went white, and chaos ensued."-said Hildebrand.-"Our AWACS was frantically trying to comunicate with us, but before we could make head or tails about the situation, I overheard a conversation between Pixy and some unknown pilot, and after he said "Buddy, I've found a reason to fight.", my missile alarm went off. I evaded the missile, looked behind me and saw that the guy firing on me was my own wingman."

-"Are you serious?"-asked Thompson, baffled.-"I mean, I know you guys became enemies later, but for Foulke to actually fire on you..."

-"Oh, believe me, I was as surprised as you back then."-replied Hildebrand.-"Then I heard that Belkan reinforcements were en route to our position, and while I was taking them out, Pixy took his chance to escape. The last thing he said was "This is where we go our separate ways." to what I replied "So, that's your reason to fight? So be it. If we meet again, one of us will have to go down in flames. From now on, you're my sworn enemy."."

-"Wait, did you mean it?"-said Thompson.

-"Brett, he had just turned into my enemy."-said Hildebrand.-"A soldier worth their salt does not betray their comrades. And I could never afford to hesitate when an enemy attacked me; it was my enemy or me, and in my entire military career, I have never seen an enemy hesitating."

-"So, what happened after that, Erich?"-asked Thompson.

-"I was transfered along with Beckett to Heierlark Base in Osea for an attack on Yering Mine's vicinity, near Mount Schirm, to take out various Belkan divisions that refused to surrender."-answered Hildebrand.-"It was nothing much, just yet another multirole mission, but at the beginning, I had to endure PJ's chatter. I mean, he was a nice, likable guy, but listening to his idle chatter and his love for polo could be a distraction on the battlefield. When we reached enemy territory, I told him "PJ, I don't mind listening to whatever you have to say, honest. But we're on a mission, so now it's not the time." He got the message, since he barely said anything irrelevant during the mission. However, although we took out almost everything in the area, we missed a large hangar, which hid something that would turn out to be a huge threat months later."

-"The XB-0, from A World With No Boundaries."-guessed Thompson.

-"You're right. But before that, we had yet another mission, this time over Anfang, to take out a group of ground and air units during the peace ceremony in Lumen."-said Hildebrand.-"PJ kept repeating that there were too many forces to be mere remnant Belkan forces and I agreed with him. Not only that, but they were also organized enought to set up an improvised airbase inside a couple of tunnels. However, after that mission, I was by all intents and purposes, out of the job. The Ustio government was supposedly discussing our future in the Air Force, but I thought that was a mere formality. For six months, things were really quiet, but that was fine by me. But on December 25th, just six days before we were due to get word of our future, the XB-0 Hresvelgr attacked our base."

-"The XB-0 attacked the base!?"-asked Thompson.-"It must have been utter chaos there."

-"It was as if the gates of Hell opened over our heads and poured a shower of white hot steel."-replied Hildebrand.-"Even I was taken aback by its size while I waited for clearence for takeoff. Luckily for PJ and I, the runway remained almost intact, although almost of the anti-aircraft guns had been strafed by the XB-0 and its escorts."

-"Among them, the Espada Team, right?"-asked Thompson.

-"In fact, we had to fight them before we could even fire on the XB-0. And even reaching the airspace where it was took us a bit. On our way, PJ and I flew over the area where the nukes were detonated back on June. It was an appalling sight, for it was the scenery of an inhuman tragedy and the massacre of innocent civilians. Finally, we got visual on the XB-0 over the Waldreich Mountains, heading north in an attempt to escape."-explained Hildebrand.-"At that moment, the Espada Team, a couple of Sapin Air Force pilots, engaged us. Our AWACS and PJ tried to reason with them, but it was futile. I counterattacked and shot down the flight lead, Alberto Lopez, a guy piloting a J35J with a red paintjob, black radome and dorsal stripe, and yellow stripes in an X on the wings. The other pilot, Marcela Vasquez, piloting a Rafale M with a dark grey paintjob, red stabilizer, and red and yellow stripes on the wings, tried to avenge her fallen comrade, but didn't last long either. The rest of the escorts were even easier. For an instance, A World With No Boundaries brought a couple of B-2s to escort the XB-0. That was the least tactically sound strategy they could come up with. At best, they could only serve as decoys."

-"Maybe that's what AWWNB was looking for."-suggested Thompson.-"Also, since they attacked Lumen before attacking Valais, they were involved in the bombing too."

-"Hmm, now that you mention it, you're probably right, Brett. But then again, in the best case scenario, those bombers only made me waste a handful of seconds. Not even enough to give the XB-0 room to escape. I have to admit, however, that the XB-0 itself was really well-armed. As soon as we got close enough, PJ and I were greeted with a storm of AA rounds and air-to-air missiles."-replied Hildebrand.-"It was no easy task, but in the end, Beckett and I destroyed all the anti-aircraft artillery and the engines, before I attacked the cockpit, dealing the final blow to the XB-0. After that, however, we received a coded message that caught me completely off-guard."

-"From Foulke, I guess."-supposed Thompson.

-"Well, the message was "Yo, Buddy. You still alive?", so you can imagine I assumed that it was him."-said Hildebrand.-"At first, I was so shocked I couldn't even speak. Seconds later, I thought "Foulke, I respect your decision to join A World With No Boundaries, but that makes you my enemy. If we meet again, one of us will have to go down."."

-"I see. That must have been traumatic for you, Erich."-observed Thompson.-"What happened next?"

-"PJ and I sortied on a final mission against A World With No Boundaries. Their HQ was on Avalon Dam, where they intended to launch a new type of missile, the V2, to blackmail the world into doing their bidding."-answered Hildebrand.-"Before that, PJ and I flew over Area B7R, which was supposedly a shortcut to our destination. However, while we were over Area B7R, we were attacked by the Gault Squadron, led by Anton Kupchenko. Eight Su-47s sporting a three-tone golden brown paintjob with black radome and golden yellow trims attacked us, and believe me, it was an intense fight. But in the end, the eight pilots were shot down. Kupchenko, a.k.a Gault 1, was not subtle about his views of politicians, which might have motivated his desertion to AWWNB. During the battle, he asked me what I expected to achieve on the battlefield, to which I replied "All I want is to ensure freedom and peace for Ustio, and A World With No Boundaries puts both into jeopardy. And thus, in order for me to achieve that, I will fight with everything I have." It was a pretty hard fight, since those Su-47s could fly in circles around my F-15C and PJ's F-16C."

-"But you ended up winning, and Kupchenko was later found dead."-said Thompson.-"So, after that encounter..."

-"PJ and I rendezvous with the tankers to refuel before the final attack on Avalon Dam."-said Hildebrand.-"The tanker pilot asked us why we were late, and I replied "Sorry, but we encountered eight Su-47s over Area B7R. We would have made it sooner otherwise." After that, PJ and I flew through a canyon while a group of Osean fighters drew the triple A over themselves. Yes, the Avalon Dam facility was covered by a massive anti-aircraft defence network, and it would be borderline suicide to fly through that. The canyon, despite having its fair share of anti aircraft weapons, was the safe option."

-"Was it difficult?"-asked Thompson.

-"AA guns, SAM launchers, pileboxes, enemy aircraft... A World With No Boundaries was pouring everything in that operation. The Osean forces had been almost completely eliminated by the time PJ and I reached the dam."-explained Hildebrand.-"But for us, it was not much. I flew into the missile silos to destroy them, while Beckett crossed all targets that could have attacked me during my way out of the silos. A couple of runs was enough to destroy all of them, and, while our AWACS assertained the situation, PJ rambled about proposing to his girlfriend back in the base, and I wished him good luck. And just at that moment, things took a turn for the worse."

-"What do you mean?"-said Thompson.

-"Suddenly, our AWACS told us that there was a bandit heading fast towards us. PJ then broke hard left. To this day, I still don't know why he did that, but just as he got in front of me, a laser hit his F-16C right under the canopy, and Beckett drifted off and his plane exploded."-said Hildebrand.-"I was shocked as I saw everything unfold before my eyes. And then, over the radio, an all too familiar voice said some words that will be etched in my memory forever: "So, have you found a reason to fight yet? Buddy.""

-"Larry Foulke, I guess."-sighed Thompson.

-"Bingo. As I came out of my stupor, I counterattacked. It was not for selfish revenge, or for my duty. To me, it was the ultimate battle between the two aces of the Belkan War; a chance to prove who was the best soldier."-replied Hildebrand.-"I have to admit, though, his aircraft, which had forward swept wings, and some sort of laser pod over its fuselage, and also sported Pixy s paintjob, was as beautiful as it was deadly. We combatted ferociously, with the only difference being that, while I used missiles and bullets, he also used that laser, which he swung across like some kind of sword. My AWACS said that he was controlling the V2 launch, while Pixy rambled about his standpoint regarding borders. To me, borders were a necessary evil, since, while they fomented strife between countries, they also helped define their limits. Some time later, the laser pod fell off, possibly due to the damage it sustained from the attacks. But then, he pulled out another superweapon: some missile that could clear an entire area with a huge explosion."

-"Nuclear air-to-air missiles, maybe?"-asked Thompson.

-"Not exactly. Unlike back in Sudentor, my F-15C's avionics didn't go apeshit. But as far as firepower goes, these new missiles gave nukes a run for their money. They weren't accurate by any means, but I'm sure that just one of those missiles would have been enough to wipe out an entire bomber squadron."-answered Hildebrand.-"I managed to damage Pixy's aircraft enough to make him ditch his missiles, but that's when he resorted to launching the V2."

-"No way!"-gasped Thompson.-"He actually managed to launch it?"

-"Not only that, but shooting down Pixy was the only way to stop the missile, since it entered boost phase in an instant, and not even my F-15C could catch up with it. To add insult to injury, his aircraft's only weak points were the engine air intakes. That's when Pixy made the most of his aircraft, whose codename was Morgan."-said Hildebrand.-"We attacked each other headon, while Pixy said that we were two sides of the same coin, that when we faced each other we saw our true selves, and that while there was some resemblance, we never faced the same direction. I'd always felt sad for things to end up like that, but if it was destiny, it would be foolish to oppose it. I was not the only one who managed to land some hits, though; I ended up losing part of my left wing in the combat."

-"Really?"-asked Thompson.-"How much did you lose?"

-"I'd say that I lost 15% to 20% of my total wingspan. Not as much as Pixy had lost back in his day, but I could feel the controls were a bit stiff."-replied Hildebrand.-"But in the end, I won once again. Pixy fought back until the very last second, to the point where he tried to collide with me when he lost control of the Morgan. I dodged him, and shortly after that, his aircraft exploded. After that fight, I left a sigh of relief and returned to base."

-"Before we end this, I'd like to hear your opinion of Vasquez, Kupchenko and Foulke."-said Thompson.

-"I'll start with Vasquez. I had nothing personal against her or her flight lead. They just happened to be at the wrong place, at the wrong time, and on the wrong side. I' sorry for her flight lead, but war takes everything from everyone involved in it, and it makes no prisoners. As for Kupchenko, it was his beliefs what made him create AWWNB, and whatever happened to him was his own fault. I bear no grudge against him, though. He was just doing what he believed in."-said Hildebrand, as he took the last sip of his wine cup.-"And finally, let's talk about Pixy. I'm actually surprised he's alive, and still fighting to find what borders mean. I'm no longer a soldier, so resenting him for what he did is pointless. I wish he finds his answer someday."

-"So, what did you do after A World With No Boundaries was eliminated?"-asked Thompson.

-"First thing I did was to rescind my contract with the Ustian Air Force, and give my F-15C back to the UAF after making sure all markings had been erased."-replied Hildebrand.-"With the remaining money I had, I settled down here."

-"Before I finish the interview, I have a question."-said Thompson.-"Have you been alone all this time, Erich?"

-"No, of course not."-said Hildebrand.-"I met a doctor three years ago called Erica Granger. We started dating, and just like you today, she eventually found out about my military background. Despite everything, she stayed with me, and we eventually married."

-"Oh, really? That's great!"-said Thompson.-"Where is she now?"

Hildebrand's expression darkened a bit.

-"She died in a car crash on her way to work a year ago."-he said, as a single tear ran over his cheek.-"It broke my heart to such extent, that I've been living alone since. I think her death was some sort of comeback for my life as a mercenary. I took so many lives, that life itself had to take something from me, to make up for all the losses."

-"That's not true, Erich."-said Thompson.-"You just had bad luck. Nothing that happened to you is your fault. You were just doing your job."

-"But my job was killing people, Brett."-said Hildebrand.

-"Sometimes, blood is spilt, regardless of the outcome."-replied Thompson.-"In any case, thanks for the interview."

-"No problem. Maybe all I needed was to get it off my chest."-said Hildebrand.-"Actually, I've just thought of something. If you want to, you can send copies of the interview to the living aces you interviewed. But only to them, please. Last thing I need is a flock of hungry vultures looking for a scoop."

-"Really!?"-asked Thompson, overjoyed.-"Oh, thank you for that, Erich. I'll keep my word, though, and I'll only make copies for Schmidt, Altman, Hillenbrand, Vasquez and Foulke."

-"No problem."-said Hildebrand.-"The next flight to Oured is scheduled at dusk, so until then, I suggest you get some rest. I'll take you to the airport later."

Thompson spent the rest of the afternoon at Hildebrand's house, writing down five copies of the interview.

-" _The Demon Lord was a true soldier, despite his nickname._ "-he mused while Hildebrand retired to his room to have a nap.-" _He keeps his cool when most people would break down. That being said, Erich is still a human, not a mindless killing machine._ "

At 7:30 AM, Hildebrand took Thompson to the airport.

-"Well, I hope you found the answers you were looking for."-said Hildebrand.-"If you need anything, give me a call, unless it's about the Belkan War. I already told you everything you needed to know."

-"Thank you again for everything."-said Thompson, shaking Hildebrand's hand.-"I'll keep it in mind."

After that, at 9:55, Thompson was on his way back to Osea.

 _Three months later..._

Erich Hildebrand had been contacted by the people he had faced during the Belkan War and the AWWNB crisis during the months after the interview with Brett Thompson.

Bernhard Schmidt had praised his skills in combat, and that he was not angry for being shot down by an enemy that had proved to be as good as him.

Rainier Altman had told Hildebrand that he had never been afraid of an enemy until he faced him, and Hildebrand had expressed his condolences for the loss of his flight lead, since he knew how it felt to lose a close friend in battle, and his joy for Altman settling down in Ustio.

Erich Hillenbrand had shown regret for not having the chance to fight Hildebrand again, and shared some laughs with his former enemy for the similarity of their names.

Marcela Vasquez showed no grudge against Hildebrand, and told him that he reminded her of Alberto Lopez in terms of personality: both being dutiful soldiers with steadfast beliefs. She also felt sorry for Hildebrand, for she knew how much it hurted to lose a loved one.

However, it wasn't until three months after the interview when he received a phone call, in the middle of the night. One that he had been waiting for quite long.

Hildebrand's phone started ringing, waking him up.

-"Erich Hildebrand here."-he said, groggily.

-"Hey, Buddy, it's been a long time."-the voice said.

-"Wait..."-Hildebrand said, suddenly awake.-"Foulke, is that you!?"

-"Who else?"- Larry Foulke asked.-"I've heard you've been quite busy lately."

-"Yeah, sure. Trying to get some sleep right now."-Hildebrand joked.-"But seriously, it's like midnight here in Ustio."

-"I know, but better late than ever."-replied Foulke.-"I wanted to call you, to see how things were going for you. I'm sorry for your loss, by the way."

-"Thank you."-Hildebrand said.-"I couldn't believe it when I heard it. It broke my heart. It was even worse than when I lost PJ, or when you..."

-"Yeah, I know."-said Foulke, with a sad voice.-"I'll understand if you can't forgive me for that, Buddy."

-"I've got mixed feelings about that."-replied Hildebrand.-"I just can't dishonor PJ's memory by just forgiving you off the bat, but I can't bear any grudge for you anymore. The military life has been over for me for a long time."

-"I see. As for me, I'm out of the job for now, but I'm still trying to find out what borders truly mean."-said Foulke."

-"I sincerely hope you eventually find out. So far, every other person that came to see me has not been too hostile, despite everything."-said Hildebrand.-"I'm sorry to cut this conversation short, but it's late and I need to get some sleep. If you want to call, or come over to my place, you're welcome. Bye, Foulke."

-"Goodbye, Buddy. See you."-said Foulke, as he hung up.

Hildebrand put the phone on the nightdesk and sighed, looking at the ceiling for a long moment before falling asleep again...

* * *

Soldier ending of Chronicles of a Demon. I just can't stress this enough, but I'm taking too much time in writing my stories. It's been too long since I started writing this chapter.

In a sadder note, as you may already know, on August 19th 2017, 13 people were murdered and 130 people were injured in a terrorist attack in Barcelona, and another person was killed and 5 more were injured in another terrorist attack in Cambrils, a city in the province of Barcelona. My condolence to the victims of this cowardly, unprovoked and gruesome attack on innocent civilians, and my utmost repulse to the ungodly ISIS-supporting bastards that carried out the attack.

Back into a happier note, while I was writing this chapter, I realized that, in my fic, Galm 1 and Schnee 1 have very similar sounding names. And believe me, it is a total coincidence. Finally, I'm super-hyped for Ace Combat 7 and Jurassic World Evolution, which I hope are as good as their trailers.

Good luck and take care. See you next time


	4. Knight Ending

**Ace Combat: Chronicles of a Demon**

 **Ending 3:Knight**

 **AN** : _Hello again. I'm AurelianAce, this time with an update regarding my Skies of Deception sequel. Thanks to an idea that lixiaofossil gave me, I'm going to postpone the sequel at least until after I play Ace Combat 7. I know it seems ludicrously long (especially since Namco Bandai keeps pushing back its release date, and my budget to buy games is not too wide), but the idea lixiaofossil gave me is too good not to consider it. I hope, however, that I can at least begin with the sequel of Joint Assault this winter._

 _Without further ado, enjoy the Knight ending. Thanks for your time and patience..._

* * *

 _Cipher's cottage, Ustio, July 15th 2008, 13:18 Hours; Weather: Cloudy_

Erich Hildebrand took a sip of wine and started his story.

-"Mercenaries are often viewed as money-hungry psychopaths with no respect for human life, and Belka was no different, not even before the Rald Party era."-he said.-"Mind you, at least in my case, that opinion is at best far-fetched. I followed a set of rules: Fight only against those who can fight back; never harm a civilian, no matter the cost; never take out someone who tries to surrender or flee the battle area, and show respect even to your most merciless enemy."

-"You had a wingman back then, right?"-said Brett Thompson.-"Larry Foulke, if I'm not mistaken."

-"Oh, yeah, _Larry_."-replied Hildebrand, with a sad sigh.-"He was a man who followed his ideals, and I admired that more than the fact that he had survived a dogfight even after his right wing was destroyed. We met shortly before our first mission together. The ironic thing was that, since we were both South Belkans, we were closer to each other than with any other member in the base."

-"What happened during your first mission?"-asked Thompson.

-"It was a cold, snowy day of April."-said Hildebrand.-"Larry and I were ordered to take out a squadron of bombers tasked with destroying our base. During that mission, I piloted a J35J Draken, which is the plane in the photo you almost dropped. Just before we intercepted the bombers, he told me that he had heard stories about me, and that my pride would get me killed, to which I responded "Larry, I'd rather die by pride than live in shame." The mission proceeded smoothly. It was nothing much, just a bunch of B-52s, BM-335s and their escorts. Taking them out was easy, since they were slow bombers and not too skilled pilots. Some of them actually retreated, and I, as a true pilot, let them go."

-"That may have taken the Belkans back."-said Thompson.-"A mercenary letting an enemy go, especially after their aircraft was damaged, is most unheard of."

-"You can say that again. I hoped that taught the Belkans a lesson in humility. To me, it was not about money, but about defending Ustio without becoming a monster."-replied Hildebrand.-"I needed the money to buy my weapons, fuel and aircraft, the latter in case I needed to replace mine. After the end of our first mission, Larry said that he thought that he and I would get along just fine and that I had potential. It was also the first time he called me "Buddy"."

-"So, money was not that important for you?"-asked Thompson.

-"Of course not. Especially since more often than not I earned it for killing people, even if they were my enemy."-answered Hildebrand.-"Our next mission was an attack on Belkan ground forces over Route 171, on Arlon, Sapin. It was an especially delicate area, and there were windmills and other civilian building everywhere, so I did not annihillate the entire area and focused only on the active Belkan units. Despite that, I needed all the cash I could get, since I had ordered a new aircraft to replace the J35J."

-"You mean, your emblematic F-15?"-said Thompson.

-"Yep, the F-15C Eagle."-replied Hildebrand.-"It was an aircraft for a more civilized age: fast, nimble for its size, well-armed, resillient,... I could guess why Larry had chosen that aircraft when he joined the Ustio Air Force. It had a downside, however: it was not suited to carry guided air-to-ground weapons. So I had the mechanics and engineers modify it to, at least, carry large unguided bombs, which I would use against the targets I needed to destroy no matter what. However, that had a steep price, and when all was said and done, I was almost broke. Fortunately, I would have a chance to get some of my money back, in a mission that would change my life."

-"It was then when you faced Dimitri Heinreich, i.e., Indigo 1, right?"-asked Thompson.

-"Certainly. However, before he and his squadron arrived to Area B7R, we took out some of the fighters patrolling the area."-answered Hildebrand.-"But as you know, what easy comes, easy goes. Shortly after our AWACS' warning, four JAS-39C Gripens of the Indigo Squadron attacked us, and it took us quite a while to gain the upper hand. I'm ashamed to admit it, but I guess I was a bit to blame for that. I hesitated to shoot them down, since even then, I wanted to cause as little damage as possible. If it hadn't been for Larry, I would have been killed back then. Despite that, we won, taking down two Gripens each."

-"That was a close call, right?"-asked Thompson.-"But in the end, you managed to survive the ordeal, and you were rewarded."

-"Absolutely. It was not very often you got to come toe to toe with a Belkan ace squadron and live to tell the tale."-replied Hildebrand.-"Back in the base, Larry and I were received like heroes, but I was a bit ashamed, since I almost got both of us killed, as Larry reminded me some time before we landed on Valais, but all he did was to tell me that next time I was not to be too merciful. Especially since that mission over Area B7R turned out to be just a diversionary one."

-"Yeah, it was a mission to give the Osean Forces an opening, right?"-stated Thompson.

-"Both Larry and I were livid. I mean, we knew it was our duty, but the higher-ups could have been nice enough to tell us beforehand."-retorted Hildebrand.-"Later, Larry and I were sent to the Futuro Canal to take part on the Offensive Campaign 4101."

-"Which was your role in it?"-questioned Thompson.

-"I chose to participate on the Operation Gelnikos."-answered Hildebrand.-"Larry and I were task. There was a small problem, however; the amount of fuel tanks could lead to an unnecessary amount of destruction if careful fire discipline was not taken. But using missiles on the anti-aircraft weapons and jamming facilities instead of heavy bombs was a good alternative. The enemy was taken out, and nothing else was destroyed. I also let damaged enemy aircraft to retire if they had no other choice."

-"That's very nice of you, Erich."-said Thompson.-"I don't know if the Belkans saw it that way, though."

-"Well, even if they didn't. It was my standpoint. Taking out a defenceless enemy is an act of sheer cowardice."-replied Hildebrand.-"My next mission took place over Solis Ortus, where we had to protect some cargo planes of the 101st Airborne Division of Osea. I didn't drop a single bomb, but I still cleared the area of anti-aircraft units, and the interceptors sent to shoot down the cargo planes were either shot down or too damaged to continue their mission."

-"Did you operate the same way when you liberated Directus?"-asked Thompson.

-"Of course. Killing the civilians of the same country I was serving would have been even worse than killing a retreating enemy."-replied Hildebrand.-"Standard missiles were accurate enough to take down most of the ground units, and I strafed those who did not go down with a single missile, taking extreme care to avoid hitting civilian buildings. The Belkan planes and helicopters, on the other hand, were shot down with air-to-air missiles. It was exciting to see the Ustians cheering us up while we drove the Belkans back. However, just after we secured Directus' airspace, the Coupled Cormorants appeared, as if to challenge our air supremacy."

-"Coupled Cormorants?"-asked Thompson.

-"The Gelb Team. Those two pilots were tough as nails, and second to no one when it came to air-to-air combat."-replied Hildebrand.-"It was not enough that they piloted Su-37s, which were fast and maneuverable, but they also had backward-firing missiles, which were very close to hitting me a handful of times. They fought like true warriors, but in the end, Larry and I survived. And at least one of them, Gelb 2, managed to live too."

-"What are your thoughts of the other aces, by the way?"-said Thompson.

-"Well, let's start with the aces we've talked about so far, starting with Dimitri Heinreich. He was right about me being naive back then, for which I will give him credit, and I've matured since then, but generosity is a must for knights, something I see he disagrees with."-said Hildebrand.-"In the case of Rainier Rainier, I'm glad he survived, and I'm willing to give him my condolences for the loss of his flight lead if I see him, since I know how it feels to lose a brother in arms. Regarding Larry, I saw that, in the documentary, he said that I was blessed by the goddess of war, and I completely disagree with that. The goddess of war does not bless, but curses, and those cursed by her are almost certain to live the rest of their lives in constant torment and despair."

-"That's so takes its psychological toll on soldiers more often than not."-said Thompson.-"Now, back to the issue of the liberation of Directus..."

-"Oh, yeah. I was glad the war was over."-said Hildebrand.-"For a moment there, I thought I could finally retire in peace."

-"But I guess that would not be the case."-guessed Thompson.

-"Bingo. I was livid when I heard that we had a mission over Glatisant, a fortress at the peak of Mt Ivrea, to destroy anti-aircraft artillery and secure the area for a so-called nuclear inspection. Both Larry and I knew it was a ruse, though, and neither of us was happy about it, and we weren't subtle about our complaints. To make matters worse, we had no choice but to bomb a gargantuan amount of archaeological heritage to the Stone Age."-said Hildebrand.-"Although the mission seemed successful, we heard that an entire squadron had gone up in smoke during the mission over Ustio's border. We didn't know it, but it was the first blow of the Excalibur."

-"Excalibur?"-asked Thompson, baffled.

-"Before I elaborate on the Excalibur, I must explain what happened during the next mission."-said Hildebrand.-"Larry and I were sent to establish air superiority over the Schayne Plains to secure a route for a group of transports. When we reached the combat area Larry said that there was not much difference between the countries from the air. Physically-wise, he was right, but try to tell that to the Belkans while you're in the cockpit of a fighter loaded with air-to-air missiles."

-"That's true. I guess the Belkan forces would kill you rather than reason with you in that case."-replied Thompson.-"So, how did the mission go?"

-"Well, at first, it was just another day in paradise. By-the-book air-to-air combat, helping out ally pilots whose aircrafts had been damaged, letting go enemies too weakened to fight back... It didn't seem like anything could go wrong at all."-answered Hildebrand.-"However, the entire battle was the calm before the storm all along. While we escorted the cargo planes so they could land safely, a white flash of light whizzed through the sky, and in the next second, three of the transports exploded. To make matters worse, a laser beam fired intermittently over the area began to shoot down the remaining Allied aircraft. It was then when everyone in the area realized shit had gone south, and that all we could do was get out of the area as soon as possible. In the end, however, only Foulke and I managed to escape alive. When we reached a secure area, I told him: "There's no way anyone could consider this mission a success, my friend. Belka may have found a way to fight back after all."."

-"Only you two managed to survive?"-asked Thompson.-"Did the Ustian Air Force receive any reinforcements after that?"

-"Actually, we did. A small squadron of F-16C pilots. The Crow squadron. It was then when I met Patrick James Beckett. He was even more idealistic than Foulke, and that threshold was vast."-answered Hildebrand.-"The first time the Crow and Galm squadron were deployed together was during the attack on Excalibur."

-"You've mentioned this "Excalibur" thing a handful of times."-observed Thompson.-"Could you please explain what it is?"

-"Of course. After all, I was just getting to it. Excalibur was a chemical laser weapon used for long-range interception of ICMBs and, later, aircraft."-replied Hildebrand.-"Before we began our mission, our flight was detected and the Excalibur fired on us, destroying the tanker assignated to us. The two flights headed to attack the four ECM stations that provided cover to Excalibur. It was relatively swift, considering that the Excalibur fired on us at regular intervals, and that we had to change course to avoid being fried by the laser."

-"But in the end, you made it, right?"-said Thompson.

-"Brett, I swear, if I hadn't made it, history as we know it would have been dramatically different."-chuckled Hildebrand."-I have to admit, though, I was spellbound by Excalibur's size. Did you hear of Gaiuss Tower, in Aurelia? The skyscraper built as a symbol of Aurelia's peace? Well, turns out Excalibur was almost as tall as Gaiuss Tower, according to data recovered after the war. When we reached Excalibur, however, it was not only the superweapon itself what we had to worry about, but also a myriad of triple A units, rail-based lasers, and even some fighters. But in the end, I managed to destroy the goddamn Excalibur, and that March 23rd 1995, I was known as "the man who pulled the sword of Tauberg"."

-"So, you had quite the reputiation after that."-guessed Thompson.-"People even called you "The Demon Lord of the Round Table"."

-"Actually, I fought three times over Area B7R, the area known as "The Round Table"."-said Hildebrand.-"The second time, which would turn out to be the last time I would fight over Area B7R during the Belkan War, was the largest air-to-air battle in all of history so far. It had began with an Osean Air Force surprise attack, which turned south as soon as the Belkan Air Force retaliated. Before Larry, the Crow squadron and I reached the operation area, Osea had lost over 40% of their fighters. To me, it was a chance to prove that, although I was deadly, I was not a cold-blooded killer. However, I heard a handful of things over the radio. It was then when I was refered to as a "Demon" for the first time by the Belkans, the first time I heard the Wizard and Sorcerer squadrons, and the time where I began to find out what kind of men Larry and Beckett were. Beckett said that he was fighting for peace, but to Foulke, there was no peace in war. I agreed with Patrick more than I did with Larry. After all, all it takes for the bad guys to win is that the good guys do nothing. But soon, I would not have time to worry about all that stuff."

-"The Silber squadron, right?"-guessed Thompson.

-"Exactly; the squadron comprised of four freshmen and their legendary leader, Dietrich Kellerman."-replied Hildebrand.-"To me, it was the chance of a lifetime, for Dietrich had just been brought back to the frontlines to bolster the Belkans' morale. As you know, I lived in Belka before I left for Ustio, and despite all the strife, I admired Dietrich as a pilot and as a person. He was not idealistic _per se_ , bu he had a good set of rules, and he cared for his "students". His squadron had some admirable equipment: Dietrich flew an F-4E Phantom II with a zebra-style camo and a shark mouth, and his four students flew 4 F-16C Fighting Falcons with a similar paintjob, sans the shark mouth. His students were not nearly as skilled as he was, but they were only one or two missions away from becoming true pilots. I'm actually a bit sad for them; had they not fought me, they would have lived to become great pilots. Both Larry and Patrick were surprised by Dietrich's skills, and I'm not gonna lie, he was impressive. Despite that, I won the battle, shooting Dietrich down before his students suffered the same fate."

-"And, after that operation, you became the Demon Lord of the Round Table."-said Thompson.

-"You can say that again. I actually feel bad for Dietrich, since he lost most of his students in that battle."-said Hildebrand.-"The next mission was simple: escorting a flight of Osean B-52s during a bombing over Hoffnung."

-"Oh, yeah, that infamous mission."-said Thompson.-"Please tell me you at least did not attack civilians."

-"Of course I didn't. That mission should have never taken place. I started having second thoughts about the mission when I heard the bomber crews prioritize destruction over accuracy. Those guys tossed bombs like flyers all over the place, and it's even rumored than a Tomahawk missile hit Hoffnung too. It was nauseating."-answered Hildebrand.-"Larry and Patrick bickered about the nature of both the mission and war all the time during the attack. It was the bombers which caused most of the damage, whereas I took down most of the aircraft in the area, even some stealth fighters and jammer aircraft sent to take out the bombers. I'm a bit ashamed to admit that I let a single bomber be shot down for their reckless bombing. When we returned to Valais Air Base, Larry and I talked about the mission. I said that, even though I hated to say it, we still had a duty to fulfill with Ustio. He retaliated by saying I was doing a poor job if I allowed a whole bomber crew to die. My answer to that was: "Just one crew, Larry! Are you gonna compare that to only God knows how many innocent civilians killed during this reckless bombing? This is not war, it's sheer, unfettered madness. I like it as little, if not less than you, my friend. All we can do for now is pray to never be assigned to such a mission ever again." After that, I retired to my room, leaving Larry brooding about the mission. Which takes us to that fateful day."

-"June 6th, 1995."-said Thompson.-"I saw it in the news back then. 12000 victims."

-"I had just turned 25 that day."-said Hildebrand.-"It was supposed to be a mission over Sudentor, just another day in paradise. Larry seemed a bit off that day; he was lagging behind me and the Crow team. Before we began, we received a message from HQ. A group of Belkan bombers loaded with nukes had taken off. We engaged the bombers, which were a group of Bm-335s and F-15Es, without even knowing which ones were carrying the nukes. Meanwhile, a group of Belkan MiG-31s engaged the bombers. It gave me hope to see that even some Belkans opposed such madness. After destroying all them, I thought we were in the clear, but boy, oh boy, how wrong I was."

-"How bad was it?"-asked Thompson.

-"Well, one moment we were celebrating our victory, and the next, everything went white, and chaos ensued."-said Hildebrand.-"Our AWACS was frantically trying to comunicate with us, but before we could make head or tails about the situation, I overheard a conversation between Larry and some unknown pilot, and after Larry said "Buddy, I've found a reason to fight.", my missile alarm went off. I evaded the missile, looked behind me and saw that the guy firing on me was my own wingman."

-"Are you serious?"-asked Thompson, baffled.-"I mean, I know you guys became enemies later, but for Foulke to actually fire on you..."

-"Oh, believe me, I was as surprised as you back then."-replied Hildebrand.-"Then I heard that Belkan reinforcements were en route to our position, and while I was taking them out, Larry took his chance to escape. The last thing he said was "This is where we go our separate ways." to what I replied "Larry, why did you do this? What is your reason to fight?"."

-"So, what happened after that, Erich?"-asked Thompson.

-"I was transfered along with Patrick to Heierlark Base in Osea for an attack on Yering Mine's vicinity, near Mount Schirm, to take out various Belkan divisions that refused to surrender."-answered Hildebrand.-"It was nothing much, just yet another multirole mission, but at the beginning, Patrick began talking about his life. I mean, he was a nice, likable guy, but his idle chatter and his love for polo could wait until we returned to base. I told him "Patrick, I'm more than willing to listen to your stories, but please, wait until after we finishi this mission." He got the message, since he barely said anything irrelevant during the mission. However, although we took out almost everything in the area, we missed a large hangar, which hid something that would turn out to be a huge threat months later."

-"The XB-0, from A World With No Boundaries."-guessed Thompson.

-"You're right. But before that, we had yet another mission, this time over Anfang, to maintain air superiority over the area after the Mercury and Mars teams finished their missions, during the peace ceremony in Lumen."-said Hildebrand.-"Patrick kept repeating that there were too many forces to be mere remnant Belkan forces. Also, they fought too ferociously, as if the war had not ended for them and they kept blaming me for everything that had happened to Belka. However, after that mission, I was by all intents and purposes, out of the job. The Ustio government was supposedly discussing our future in the Air Force, but I thought that was a mere formality. For six months, things were really quiet, and I was a bit glad, since tha meant it was over. But on December 25th, just six days before we were due to get word of our future, the XB-0 Hresvelgr attacked our base."

-"The XB-0 attacked the base!?"-asked Thompson.-"It must have been utter chaos there."

-"It was as if the gates of Hell opened over our heads and poured a shower of white hot steel."-replied Hildebrand.-"Even I was taken aback by its size while I waited for clearence for takeoff. Luckily for Beckett and I, the runway remained almost intact, although almost of the anti-aircraft guns had been strafed by the XB-0 and its escorts."

-"Among them, the Espada Team, right?"-asked Thompson.

-"In fact, we had to fight them before we could even fire on the XB-0. And even reaching the airspace where it was took us a bit. On our way, Patrick and I flew over the area where the nukes were detonated back on June. Only by sheer power of will I managed to avoid vomiting at the thought of what the victims had to endure. Finally, we got visual on the XB-0 over the Waldreich Mountains, heading north in an attempt to escape."-explained Hildebrand.-"At that moment, the Espada Team, a couple of Sapin Air Force pilots, engaged us. Our AWACS and Patrick tried to reason with them, and I vainly hoped it worked. I counterattacked and shot down the flight lead, Alberto López, who piloted a J35J with a red paintjob, black radome and dorsal stripe, and yellow stripes in an X on the wings. The other pilot, Marcela Vasquez, piloting a Rafale M with a dark grey paintjob, red stabilizer, and red and yellow stripes on the wings, tried to avenge her fallen comrade, but didn't last long either. The rest of the escorts were even easier. Among them, a couple of B-2As, which at best, were only a distraction."

-"Maybe that's what AWWNB was looking for."-suggested Thompson.-"Also, since they attacked Lumen before attacking Valais, they were involved in the bombing too."

-"Hmm, now that you mention it, you're probably right, Brett. But then again, in the best case scenario, those bombers only made me waste a handful of seconds. Not even enough to give the XB-0 room to escape. I have to admit, however, that the XB-0 itself was really well-armed. As soon as we got close enough, Patrick and I were greeted with a storm of AA rounds and air-to-air missiles."-replied Hildebrand.-"It was no easy task, but in the end, Patrick and I destroyed all the anti-aircraft artillery and the engines, before I attacked the cockpit, dealing the final blow to that blasted airborne fortress. After that, however, we received a coded message that caught me completely off-guard."

-"From Larry, I guess."-supposed Thompson.

-"Well, the message was "Yo, Buddy. You still alive?", so you can imagine I assumed that it was him."-said Hildebrand.-"At first, I was so shocked I couldn't even speak. Seconds later, however, that surprise gave way to sadness; Larry, who betrayed me only months before, had returned to the battlefield, and fighting for the enemy, no less."

-"I see. That must have been traumatic for you, Erich."-observed Thompson.-"What happened next?"

-"Patrick and I sortied on a final mission against A World With No Boundaries. Their HQ was on Avalon Dam, where they intended to launch a new type of missile, the V2, to blackmail the world into doing their bidding."-answered Hildebrand.-"Before that, Patrick and I flew over Area B7R, which was supposedly a shortcut to our destination. However, while we were over Area B7R, we were attacked by the Wizard Squadron, led by Joshua Bristow. F-16XLs sporting a grayish blue paintjob and blue trims attacked us, or that's how it seemed at first. Another group of YF-23 Black Widow Iis, sporting a darker grey paintjob, but the same kind of trims, ambushed us from behind. It was an intense fight, and Joshua was hellbent on shooting me down, but in the end, I defeated him. However, his ideals remained intact."

-"Yes, he did not forfeit his ideals. He even attempted to commit a terrorist attack on Osea, and he's now serving time in prison for it."-said Thompson.-"So, after that encounter..."

-"Patrick and I rendezvous with the tankers to refuel before the final attack on Avalon Dam."-said Hildebrand.-"The tanker pilot asked us why we were late, and I replied "I'm sorry, we were ambushed by YF-23s and F-16XL over Area B7R, and we had to fight our way through." After that, Patrick and I flew through a canyon while a group of Osean fighters drew the triple A over themselves. Yes, the Avalon Dam facility was covered by a massive anti-aircraft defence network, and not even I was willing to fly through that. The canyon, dangerous as it was, was the safe option."

-"Was it difficult?"-asked Thompson.

-"AA guns, SAM launchers, pileboxes, enemy aircraft... A World With No Boundaries was pouring everything in that operation. The Osean forces had been almost completely eliminated by the time Patrick and I reached the dam."-explained Hildebrand.-"Since we took the safe way, it was easy for ys. I flew into the missile silos to destroy them, while Patrick crossed all targets that could have attacked me during my way out of the silos. A couple of runs was enough to destroy all of them, and, while our AWACS assertained the situation, Patrick explained that he was going to marry his girlfriend, to who he had bought flowers, and I wished him the best. And just at that moment, things took a turn for the worse."

-"What do you mean?"-said Thompson.

-"Suddenly, our AWACS told us that there was a bandit heading fast towards us. Patrick then broke hard left. Whether it was to evade the attack or to protect me, I'll never know. At that moment, a laser hit his F-16C right under the canopy, and Beckett drifted off and his plane exploded."-said Hildebrand.-"I screamed his name over the radio hoping he was alive, but when I realized what had just happened, my heart froze: my new wingman and friend, who had yet to propose to the love of his life, had just been killed instead of me. And then, over the radio, an all too familiar voice said some words that will be etched in my memory forever: "So, have you found a reason to fight yet? Buddy.""

-"Larry Foulke, I guess."-sighed Thompson.

-"You couldn't be any more right. And for the first time in my life, I felt truly angry at an enemy. He had taken his life, instead of mine, all just because of one simple mistake."-replied Hildebrand.-"I have to admit, however, his aircraft, which had forward swept wings, and some sort of laser pod over its fuselage, and also sported Foulke's paintjob, was as beautiful as it was deadly. Larry used his aircraft's laser, which he could aim anywhere to its front, to try and kill me as he did to Patrick, as he rambled about his ideals and the uselessness of borders. He knew that I liked borders as little as he did, but the way he tried to get rid of them was not the right one. I eventually managed to destroy his laser pod, despite his ferocious attacks. But then, Larry pulled out another superweapon: some missile that could clear an entire area with a huge explosion."

-"Nuclear air-to-air missiles, maybe?"-asked Thompson.

-"Not exactly. Unlike back in Sudentor, my F-15C's avionics didn't go apeshit. But believe me, as far as firepower goes, these new missiles packed quite a wallop. They weren't accurate by any means, but I'm sure that just one of those missiles would have been enough to wipe out an entire bomber squadron."-answered Hildebrand.-"I managed to damage Larry's aircraft enough to make him ditch his missiles, but that's when he resorted to launching the V2."

-"No way!"-gasped Thompson.-"He actually managed to launch it?"

-"Not only that, but shooting down Larry was the only way to stop the missile, since it entered boost phase in an instant, and not even my F-15C could catch up with it. To add insult to injury, his aircraft's only weak points were the engine air intakes. That's when Larry made the most of his aircraft, whose codename was Morgan."-said Hildebrand.-"We attacked each other headon, while Larry said that we were two sides of the same coin, that when we faced each other we saw our true selves, and that while there was some resemblance, we never faced the same direction. And he was right, however, but now all I could do was fight back or be killed. I was not the only one who managed to land some hits, though; I ended up losing part of my left wing in the combat."

-"Really?"-asked Thompson.-"How much did you lose?"

-"I'd say that I lost 15% to 20% of my total wingspan. Not as much as Larry had lost back in his day, but I could feel the controls were a bit stiff."-replied Hildebrand.-"But in the end, I won that last battle. Larry fought back until the very last second, to the point where he tried to collide with me when he lost control of the Morgan. I dodged him, and shortly after that, his aircraft exploded. Despite all he had done, when I saw him go down, I did feel a bit sad. To all intents and purposes, I had lost a friend and shot down another one."

-"Before we end this, I'd like to hear your opinion of Vasquez, Bristow and Foulke."-said Thompson.

-"I'll start with Marcela. I'm sad things went out the way they did. Alberto had a second chance in life, and he should have taken it, instead of returning to the battlefield; I'm pretty sure Marcela would have thanked him if he had. As for Joshua, I partially agree with him. The world is in constant change. All it takes is the will of a single man, but if done the wrong way, the change can be more often than not detrimental for the innocent."-said Hildebrand, as he took the last sip of his wine cup.-"And finally, let's talk about Larry. Our fight is over, despite the tragedy that set us against each other. I've come to terms with everything, and I'm glad he survived. I also hope he eventually finds out whether borders are meant to be or not."

-"So, what did you do after A World With No Boundaries was eliminated?"-asked Thompson.

-"I became a regular for the Ustian Air Force as an instructor for five years. After that, I sold my aircraft to the National Aeronautics Museum of Directus to be displayed permanently, after eliminating the name of the pilot."-replied Hildebrand.-"With the remaining money I had, I settled down here, trying to live a tranquil life. But then I met a certain person."

-"Who?"-asked Thompson.

-"A doctor called Erica Granger. I had a car accident three years ago and she was one of the doctors tasked with taking care of my injuries."-replied Hildebrand.-"She was nice, and more curious about me than the rest of the doctors. Eventually, Erica found out who I was, and despite that, she treated me as if I was any other person. She didn't care that I was the Demon Lord, or about my money. She saw me for who I really was; a Belkan who only wished to live a normal life."

-"How did things go?"-asked Thompson.

-"We hit it off shortly after I got out of the hospital, and we've been a couple since at least two and a half years."-answered Hildebrand.-"We're still considering marriage, but things are looking good for now."

-"I hope you eventually do."-said Thompson.-"Thank you for the interview, Erich."

-"No problem."-said Hildebrand. He then said.-"You know what? You actually trusted me without knowing me or my true intentions, and I can't just do nothing in return. Regarding our interview's privacy, I'll take it back. Feel free to write an article about it, if you feel like it."

-"Really!?."-asked Thompson, overjoyed.-"I'm so glad! I still have second thoughts about it. Maybe your story was never meant to be known to the public."

-"It's up to you, whatever you choose to do."-said Hildebrand.-"The next flight to Oured is scheduled at dusk, so since we have a whole afternoon before us, it would be very impolite of me to chase you off of my house now. And by the looks of the time, it seems like Erica is going to get home very soon."

Some minutes later, around 14:35 hours, a woman with shoulder-length light brown hair and chocolate brown eyes entered the house.

-"Erich! I'm here!"-the woman said, as Hildebrand headed towards her and kissed her passionately. She then turned to their guest.-"Who is this lovely gentleman?"

-"Erica, this is Brett Thompson. Let's say he is a new friend I made."-said Hildebrand, introducing them.-"Brett, this is Erica Granger, my girlfriend."

-"Pleased to meet you, Ms. Granger."-said Thompson, as they kissed on their cheeks.-"I came here to talk with Erich about the Belkan War."

-"You're Brett Thompson, the author of "Warriors and the Belkan War", right?"-said Granger.-"Erich told me he had sent an email to someone to talk about the Belkan War. He always said he needed to get it off his chest."

-"I guess. Something like that is not an easy thing to live with."-Thompson pointed out.-"I don't mean anything bad, though."

-"Don't worry. You can't change the past, and you can't foresee the future, so we need to enjoy the present."-said Hildebrand.

-"Always so positive. That's one of your best traits, Erich."-said Granger.

-"I'm still no better than someone who loves another person not for their fame or their money, but for who they are."-replied Hildebrand, kissing Granger again. He then turned to Thompson.-"Brett, the next flight to Oured leaves at dusk, so you can stay here if you want. I'll tell you everything I explained before if you decide to write an article."

-"Thank you for everything, Erich."-said Thompson.-"I'll write down an article about you, but I'll do my best to keep your identity a secret."

While Granger had lunch, Erich and Thompson worked on the article about the Demon Lord. Shortly after they started, Granger joined them, and together they finished the article at around 16:30 PM. Thompson had kept his word of not giving away Hildebrand's identity, despite all the information he had written about the Belkan War and the Demon Lord's missions.

-" _The Demon Lord is not that much of a demon; in fact he's more humane than most self-appointed knights._ "-Thompson mused while he was writing the article.-" _He fought for what he believed in and respected his enemies, even if they looked down their nose at him._ "

At 7:30 AM, Hildebrand and Granger took Thompson to the airport.

-"I hope your time here in Directus was good."-said Hildebrand.-"If you need anything, give me a call. Regarding the Belkan War, however, there's not much more about it than I already told you, so I would just be repeating myself over and over."

-"Thank you again for everything."-said Thompson, shaking Hildebrand's hand.-"I'll keep it in mind."

-"You're welcome to visit us anytime."-said Granger.-"As Erich said, give us a call. We'll pick you up here if you do."

After that, at 9:55, Thompson was on his way back to Osea.

-" _All these answers finally bring my search for the Demon Lord to a close. However, the best thing is that I came here looking for a legend and found two new friends._ "-he though, as he stared outside of the airliner's window next to his seat and into the sunset.-" _Erich, Erica, I hope I see you again soon._ "

 _One year later..._

Brett Thompson's new article, "The Truth behind the Demon Lord", published on August 7th 2008, had turned out to be a critical and financial success. It brought a new interest in the subject of the Belkan War and the air combats during it, despite not revealing the Demon Lord's identity by any means.

Erich Hildebrand and Erica Granger married on a small church in Directus on July 15th 2009, and many friends of both Hildebrand and Erica attended the wedding, including one of the people who influenced the most in Hildebrand's life.

Larry Foulke.

He had not been officially invited to the wedding, but his presence was not unwelcome by any means. Nobody seemed to know, or even care, that he and Hildebrand had almost killed each other years ago.

Foulke had approached Hildebrand and Granger shortly after they retreated to the shore of a small lake at the resort where the banquet was being held.

-"Yo, buddy. Congratulations."-he said.

-"Larry!"-said Hildebrand, surprised.-"Fancy seeing you here. How're you doing?"

-"Well, things have been quite calm recently. You can say it's kinda like the calm before the storm."-said Foulke.

-"How come?"-asked Hildebrand.

-"It's always been that way, Buddy. Not that I like it anyway."-replied Foulke.-"As long as there are men there will be wars."

-"It makes sense."-said Hildebrand.-"But today is not the day to ponder about such things."

-"Most certainly."-said Foulke.-"You're quite a lucky guy, by the way. Your wife is beautiful."

-"Aw, are you always that flattering, Larry?"-replied Granger, amused.-"How is it possible that someone like you is still single?"

-"You know why, Erica."-quipped Hildebrand.-"He's already married to war."

-"Hey, weren't you saying that we shouldn't be thinking about war and whatnot?"-asked Foulke.

-"Of course, and I'm still holding on to what I said."-answered Hildebrand.-"You were going on about your ideals, with which I agree, by the way, while I only answered my wife's question."

-"You're still as sharp as that day of April, Erich."-said Foulke.-"By the way, I'm sorry things went down the way they did."

-"No need to apologize, my friend. I know it was not a good time, but Patrick would have wanted things to go right."-said Hildebrand.-"It's best if we focus on the present and live our lives according to our ideals."

-"I wouldn't have said it better."-replied Foulke.-"So, was it right that the kid admired me, despite everything?"

-"You have no idea."-answered Hildebrand, with a slightly melancholic amusement.-"He never stopped talking about you, even when you..."

-"Yeah, I know. And looking back, I'm not proud of it."-said Foulke.-"I made mistakes, and I'm still trying to amend them."

-"At least you're trying. The worst people are the ones that don't let go of their hate."-said Hildebrand.

Hildebrand, Granger, and Foulke kept talking for a while more before returning to the banquet, making the most of the couple's most special day...

* * *

Knight ending of Chronicles of a Demon. Way behind schedule, I might say, but real life takes toll on my time. I've also started taking classes of Budo Taijutsu this month. With a bit of luck, the sequel to Joint Assault will begin to be published this winter, hopefully. I still have to come up with a decent list of aircraft and weapons. In a final note, I'm uploading some pics of some customized planes in Assault Horizon in my Steam Account. Check them out and give some feedback. Good luck and take care. See you next time


End file.
